AWRA-WA Eastern Conference

In cooperation with the Idaho Section of AWRA the Washington Section is presenting a half – day seminar on Rural Water Availability. The seminar will focus on the legal background, current situation, and mitigation options for rural water resources in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.

Sessions will be held between 8:00 am and 1:30 pm on April 9 at the Spokane County Water Reclamation Center (see event address at left).

Refreshments will be provided before the sessions and during the mid – morning break. The meeting will close with a box lunch and Keynote presentation. Following the lunch and Keynote presentation there will be a guided tour of the County’s state of the art water reclamation facility for those interested.

The cost is $25 for WA and ID AWRA Section members and $35 for non-members. Membership information is available on Section websites (Washington registration and Idaho registration) Full time students at regional educational institutions will be admitted free.

Conference Outline:

Introduction

What is rural water?

Keynote by Bob Haynes, Idaho Department of Water Resources (Retired): Status of Idaho’s Adjudication of Water Rights on the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer

Session 1. Background on Regional Rural Water Needs

• Rural Water Supply: A Regulatory Framework – Keith Stoffel, Water Resources Program Manger, WDOE, ERO
• Spokane County Future Demand Study – Mike Hermason, Spokane County Water Resources Program
• Forecasting Future Municipal Water Demand on the Rathdrum Prairie – Mark Solomon, Associate Director, Idaho Water Resources Research Institute

Session 2. Rural Water Problems and their Solutions

• What Happens When the Well Runs Dry: Finding Alternatives to Individual Wells in Water – stressed Areas – Dick Price, Manager, Stevens PUD #1
• Mitigation in the Little Spokane River Basin: Water Banking – Carl Einberger, Aspect Consulting
• Mitigation in Walla Walla County: Aquifer Storage and Recovery – Kevin Lindsay & Phil Brown, GSI Water Solutions