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Moscow Council approves state grant to study Clearwater River diversion as Palouse Basin water alternative
Summary
The council approved a $182,500 pass-through contract with the Idaho Water Resource Board to fund a 12-month feasibility study of a proposed Clearwater River diversion to supply the Palouse Basin. The study will examine supply availability, conceptual design, regulatory permitting, stakeholder engagement and a potential water-right application.
The Moscow City Council on an affirmative vote approved a contract with the Idaho Water Resource Board that will provide $182,500 to study the feasibility of diverting water from the Clearwater River to the Palouse Basin.
The work funded by the contract will assess water availability, develop a conceptual design for intake, pumping, treatment and conveyance, evaluate direct use versus aquifer recharge, perform regulatory and environmental permitting analysis, and support preparation of a water-right application, presenter Tyler Palmer told the council.
“This area is entirely reliant on a declining aquifer system as the sole source of our drinking water,” Palmer said. He described the study as a step toward a specific project: a potential diversion from the Clearwater River and conveyance into the Palouse Basin service area.
Why it matters: the Palouse Basin supplies drinking water to major pumpers including the…
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