Othello water test project continues

OTHELLO — After about three months, most of the water pumped from an irrigation canal, treated and then pumped into the aquifer serving the city of Othello is staying put, which could give residents more water, if needed, if all goes as planned.

The city is in the second phase of a test project, which began about four years ago, to determine if the concept of pumping water back into the aquifer to recharge it in whole or in part, or at least keep it from dropping further, is feasible.

City council members were updated on the project at their June 28 meeting. If the test project proves the concept is feasible, the amount of water pumped back into the aquifer could be increased, said Tim Flynn, of Aspect Consulting LLC, which has offices throughout the northwest. The company is conducting the project to see if the concept works.

In the last 60-70 years, the city has been using water faster than the aquifer can recharge it. City officials have been working on a project to determine if water could be added back to the aquifer.

City officials signed a contract with the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District to pump water out of an irrigation canal next to an existing city well, treat that water and pump it into the aquifer using the existing well. Flynn said the hope is to take water from the canal through the entire irrigation season, which runs through mid-October.

Andrew Austrang, hydrologist for Aspect Consulting, said the water is pumped from the canal into a holding tank, treated and pumped directly into the aquifer. Austrang said the treatment system gets the water clean enough that no further treatment (like chlorination) is needed before it’s pumped into the ground.

Austrang said the water seems to be staying where it’s pumped, at least so far. Parts of the aquifer that had gone dry are refilling with water as water levels rise, Flynn said.

In answer to a question from council member John Lallas at the meeting, Flynn said the first priority of this test isn’t to determine if it’s feasible to refill the whole aquifer. It’s to see if water added during the summer stays where it was pumped. Water pumped in during the summer can be used during the winter, Flynn said.

The test project will continue through fall 2022, pumping water for a second irrigation season, Flynn said. If it’s successful, Flynn said the next step would be to determine how city officials would scale up the project, and look for funding. It’s unclear how many phases it will take to complete the project.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.