Groundwater supplies are reportedly dwindling

MOSES LAKE - Groundwater supplies feeding agricultural wells and city supplies aren't receiving enough new water for the future, according to representatives with the Columbia Basin Groundwater Management Area, or GWMA.

It means there is only 10 to 20 years of viable groundwater supply remaining in GWMA, said GWMA Executive Director Paul Stoker.

GWMA's territory encompasses areas outside the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, covering the counties of Grant, Adams, Franklin and Lincoln.

Stoker, data analyst Patrick Royer and Kevin Lindsey, of GSI Water Solutions, presented their findings to 63 people at the Grant County Economic Development Council's recent luncheon.

Cities use less than 2 percent of the groundwater, getting water from the deeper layers of basalt, Stoker said.

He claimed wells in the Moses Lake Subregion haven't received new water for the last 10,000 years.

He said water will run out, as well as the water being used in farm irrigation circles and flowing through kitchen taps.

Lindsey said the basalt aquifer systems are layered, with water found at the tops and bottoms of basalt layers.

The water has been in the ground for a long time and predominately old groundwater has been pumped.

Royer shared the history of wells in the area.

Before 1960, basalt wells were 500 feet below ground and deep basalt wells could be found 2,700 feet below ground.

There were 40 wells dug in that time frame.

By 1970, there were 158 wells, with an increase in deep basalt wells.

In 1990, the number of wells increased to 606 and by 2010, there were 1,572 wells.

His point being there is little water coming in to the system and a lot of water going out.

Stoker said wells east of Moses Lake started failing in 1985.

It now costs $1 million to drill down to 300 feet, he said.

In GWMA, 23 of the 25 cities are pumping ancient groundwater, he said.

Harrington, in Lincoln County, and Mesa, in Franklin County, are the two communities pumping new water.

"So 23 of your 25 cities are not sustainable," Stoker said.

Moses Lake has digital static recorders in its wells, which is very "astute," he said.

The system is complex, with layers of basalt, faults, folds and dikes "to break you up," Stoker said.

"We've been going deeper, deeper and deeper and adding more wells," he added.

He claimed one couldn't wait 10 years until the tap stops before changes are made to accommodate water loss.

There is enough water in the Columbia River for agricultural use to replace groundwater with river surface water, he explained.

It is possible 160,000 acre feet of water could be pulled from the Columbia River, which is less than 1 percent of its annual flow, or use Banks Lake to store the water, he said.

After the talk, Mike Schwisow, the Columbia Basin Development League's director of government relations, said the river water Stoker was referring to is the Bureau of Reclamation's water right for the project.

The water has to come out of the river consistent with federal law and the Endangered Species Act, Schwisow explained.

He said the situation wasn't hopeless, as there is a reclamation project in place with water delivery to the central basin.

Stoker's work support's reclamation's work on the Odessa Subarea Study.

"I appreciated the information," Schwisow said. "He provided a tremendous amount of information and confirmed what a lot of people have suspected for a long time."

Port of Moses Lake Commission President Kent Jones said the port relies on the City of Moses Lake for water.

The only water right the port has is to irrigate its farmland on the north end of the Grant County International Airport.

"Every year, we just talk about a lot of infrastructure issues like that," Jones said. "I'm worried more as a citizen, than at the port."

Othello Administrator Ehman Sheldon said Othello currently has enough water to serve its population.

The city council directed staff to save money and drill a new well.

The city is planning to drill a ninth well, as soon as it finalizes a property sale.

The city saved more than $1 million to drill the well and has the money in reserve.

The location of the well was chosen because of the work Stoker and GWMA completed, Sheldon said.

He agreed to some extent that water levels are going down, but he needs to see more evidence concerning the 10,000 year old water.

"I do believe he's accurate in finding water," Sheldon said in part. "We've used their data for the new well site."

Gary Harer, municipal services director for the City of Moses Lake, said the city is always looking to acquire water rights for future growth.

The last time the city bought a water right was about 10 years ago. He estimated water rights cost between $1,700 to $3,000 per acre foot.

City representatives are currently in negotiations with a farmer for about 300 acre feet of additional water.

Starting in the 1960s, when the city started keeping well records, the water levels lowered, but not drastically, he explained.

City staff was able to lower the pump inside the well to reach water.

It takes more energy to do so, equating to a higher electrical cost, Harer said.

He called Stoker's presentation good information, which the city and state Department of Ecology are aware of.

The issue is affecting farmers more drastically than the city, he said.

"The question is, no one is really sure about that, or when it will happen," Harer said. "That's the big questions. That's why he's raising the red flag, to educate people there is a concern out there."