Osborn, Rachael Paschal

English

University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico 
UNM Digital Repository 
Publications The Utton Transboundary Resources Center 
7-2008 
Spokane River & Aquifer: An Uncompacte Watershed 
Rachael Paschal Osborn 
Columbia Institute for Water Policy 
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Osborn, Rachael Paschal. "Spokane River & Aquifer: An Uncompacte Watershed." (2008). 
https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/utton_pubs/48 
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Spokane River & Aquifer: 
An Uncompacted 
Watershed
Rachael Paschal Osborn
Columbia Institute for Water Policy
PO Box 9743, Spokane, WA 99209
Phone: 509.328.1087
www.columbia-institute.org
Chapter 1: Watershed Hydrology
►Overview map
►Dramatic formation via glacial floods
►Contemporary boundaries
►Characteristics
► 
NASA (2003)
Map of Watershed
►Request in to Spokane County GIS for 
watershed map
Image: NASA, reprinted in The SVRP Atlas (2d ed 2004)
The SVRP Aquifer 15,000 years ago
Kahle & Bartolino, Hydrogeolgoic Framework & 
GroundWater Budget of the SVRP Aquifer (USGS SIR 
2007-5041)
SVRP Aquifer 5 years ago
From:  Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Atlas 
(Spokane County, et al., 2000)
SVRP Aquifer Today
Kahle & Bartolino, Hydrogeolgoic Framework & GroundWater Budget 
of the SVRP Aquifer (USGS SIR 2007-5041)
SVRP Aquifer characteristics
►Unconfined
►Highly transmissive (fast moving)
►Horizontal hydraulic conductivity
? Ranges from 1,000 up to 52,000 feet/day

Susceptible to contamination
CH2MHill 2000
Well head contamination zone
CH2MHill 2000
Wellhead protection zones
Multiple Ground-Surface Water Connections
Spokane County GIS
Hydraulic Connectivity to the Spokane River
From:  Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Atlas 
(Spokane County, et al., 2d ed. 2004)
 Seepage loss from Spokane River to aquifer
-500
-400
-300
-200
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
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2005
2004
Courtesy Guy Gregory
WA Dep’t of Ecology 2007
 Seepage loss from Spokane River to aquifer
-500
-400
-300
-200
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
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Courtesy Guy Gregory
WA Dep’t of Ecology 2007
State Line
0 
2000 
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6000 
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10000 
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D
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1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 
Spokane River at Spokane
12422500
Spokane River Mean Annual Flow
Courtesy Guy Gregory
Spokane River: 7-Day Low Flow
Courtesy John Covert
Chapter 2:  The Political Dimension
►Political (state/fed/tribal) boundaries
►Coeur d’Alene Spokane Tribes’ aboriginal 
territories
►Satellite photo?
Kahle & Bartolino, Hydrogeolgoic Framework & GroundWater Budget 
of the SVRP Aquifer (USGS SIR 2007-5041)
Coeur d’Alene Tribe aboriginal territories
Coeur d’Alene Tribe GIS (2006)
Spokane Tribe aboriginal territories
ICEBMP, Supplemental EIS (2000)
Chapter 3:  Value to the Community
►Historic perspectives on the aquifer
►Sole source designation in 1978
►Municipal water use
►Population Growth
►Historic Perspectives on the river
►Resurgence of the River
SPOKANE'S WATER 
PUREST IN WORLD
________
Tests Shows Average of Only Seven 
or Eight Germs to Centimeter
________
________
"It can be said that there is no city in the world 
that has a better water supply than Spokane."
Spokesman-Review, May 6, 1909
Copyright 1909, The Spokesman-Review. Used with permission of The Spokesman-Review.
Photo: Spokane Aquifer Joint Board
►1978 Sole Source Designation 
? Sole source of drinking water for 500,000 
people in the region
►1988-1994: The $1 Million Perk
? Studies, education
? Management programs, ID & WA
? Focus on quality, not quantity
Municipal Districts and Points of Withdrawal
Courtesy Guy Gregory
WRIA 55/57 Watershed Management Plan
Spokane County 2005
Numbers are generally representative of aquifer usage 
in both states: 250 gpcd on an annual average
Withdrawal Rates from Wells
Hsieh, P.W., et al., Ground-Water Flow Model for 
the SVRP Aquifer , USGS SIR 2007-5044
Typical Municipal Pumping
Courtesy:
Guy 
Gregory
Population Growth
Image:  NASA 2006
The Spokane: River of Kings
The Spokane:  River of Sewage & Toxics
Kayaking on the Spokane Aquifer
Image: Tracy Wilson-Burns
Fishing on the SVRP Aquifer
Image: John Osborn
Scenic/Aesthetic Values
Image: John Osborn
Chapter 4: Management Efforts to Date
►Water Rights
► Planning
? WA watershed planning
? ID groundwater management planning
► Conservation
? Post Falls leading
? SAJB, City Spokane coming along
► Adjudications
? North Idaho
? WA pre-adjudication 
Kahle & Bartolino, 
Hydrogeolgoic 
Framework & 
GroundWater 
Budget of the 
SVRP Aquifer 
(USGS SIR 2007- 
5041)
WATER 
BUDGET
Idaho & Washington Ground Water Rights
►On Paper
? Washington: 614 cfs
? Idaho: 705 cfs
? Unknowns:  surface rights, claims, exempt wells
►In Use
? Annual average 317 cfs
? Peak summer use @ 750 cfs
Spokane River Instream Flows
►
 
Idaho: 
? Instream water right established by Idaho Water Resources Board
? Priority: June 15, 1992
? Purpose:  protection of fish & wildlife habitat, aquatic life & 
recreation
? 951 cfs (July-October) (rarely met)
? 2495 cfs (Nov-June)
? Subordinated to future municipal uses
►
 
Washington:
? 2,000 cfs minimum at Spokane gage (rarely met)
? WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife recommendation
? Instream flow regulation in process; priority date no earlier than 
1999
Idaho & Washington 
Water Resource Planning
►
 
Little/Middle Spokane 55/57 Watershed Plan (2005)
►
 
Rathdrum Ground Water Management Plan (2005)
►
 
Existing rights --
? Protect all existing rights, including unused “paper” water rights
►
 
Water Conservation --
? Washington – none 
? Idaho – all water right holders (new and existing) must develop 
and implement water conservation plans.  The more  used, the 
more stringent the conservation requirements.
►
 
Moratorium on future rights --
? Idaho – none
? Washington – lift moratorium if new rights are mitigated
Rathdrum-Coeur d’Alene Adjudication
►Timeline
? 2006 Legislative authorization
? 2008 Petition, service, claims filing
? 2009-2010 Field exams
? 2012 Resolution of objections
►Major Issues
? Coeur d’Alene Tribe reserved water rights
? Accomplished transfers
? Substantial non-use (?)
Washington Pre-Adjudication
►Pre-Adjudication Assessments
? 2007 appropriation from WA state legislature to 
“clarify Spokane watershed water rights”
? Mapping, information assessment, metering,
►Issues
? Spokane Tribe reserved water rights 
? Substantial unused water rights
► Sen. Dick Compton, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the 
state of Washington is laying claim against North 
Idaho’s water, and the adjudication will help Idaho 
defend its water. “Unless we have some pretty 
good legal basis to hang our hat on, they’re going 
to get their way,” he told the Senate. (Spokesman 
Review, March 22, 2006)
► “This work will provide essential and timely 
information on water rights and uses to protect 
Washington's interests in the use of interstate 
water sources as Idaho proceeds with a large- 
scale general adjudication of the Spokane River 
and tributaries in Idaho” (2007 state budget 
proviso)
Spokane Tribe
►Tribal ownership of Spokane River 
►Anderson v. US:
? Adjudication of rights in Chamokane Creek, 
boundary water for Spokane  Reservation
Coeur d’Alene Tribe
►Tribal ownership of Lake Coeur d’Alene
Chapter 5: Culminating Events
►Power Plant Water Rights
►Bi-State Aquifer Study
►ID continued permitting of new water rights
►WA inchoate water rights
►Dam relicensing & water quality issues
? 401, TMDL, NPDES 7Q10
2002: The “Power Plant” cases
►
 
IDWR denies water 
rights to two proposed 
power plants
►
 
14 mgd (100% 
consumptive) 
►
 
Such use is “contrary 
to conservation of 
water resources in 
Idaho.”
Image: John Osborn
Idaho Continued Permitting
►95 new SVRP ground water rights between 
2002-2007
►Approx. 60 cfs QA
Washington issued and legislatively validated  
large inchoate water rights
WRIA 57 Municipal Uses 
Water Use vs Rights 
in Acre-feet per year
103962, 49%
107672, 51%
Used
Inchoate(unused)
Data from Watershed Assessment Phase II, 
Level I Assessment, Golder Associates, 2004 
WRIA 57 'paper rights' total 
211,634 acre-feet per year
Graphic: WA Dept. of Ecology
Water Resources Program
Dam Relicensing: 
minimum discharge conditions
Image: John Osborn
Chapter 6: Where we stand today
►Spokane-Coeur d’Alene water resources – 
an integrated system
►Climate change projections – problematic 
but not yet dealt with
►Shared values in the Spokane River
The watershed is integrated
Image: Spokane County GIS
Image courtesy - William Bowen © 2003
Panoramic Aerial Maps of the American West
Another view
► 
Snow water 
equivalent: most 
PNW stations 
showing a decline in 
April 1 SWE
Decrease IncreaseDecrease Increase
Global Warming
Imdage: Univ. of WA 
Climate Impacts 
Group
Losing our glaciers
►Grinnell Glacier in 
Glacier Nat’l Park
► All glaciers in GNP will 
be gone by 2070 at 
current rate of melt
Less snow, earlier melt means less water flowing in rivers 
during summer months.
Natural Columbia River flow at the Dalles, OR
30-50% less water in the 
summer
Courtesy Dr. Philip Mote
UW Climate Impacts Group
Idaho & Washington
Shared Values & Interests:
•Groundwater
•Surface Waters
•Economy
•Peace & Prosperity
Courtesy Guy Gregory (adapted from Kahle et 
al, 2005 (USGS SIR 2005-5227) 
Idaho & Washington: Shared interests in  
groundwater
ID-WA shared interests in the river
►Native redband 
rainbow trout 
population
ID-WA shared interests in the river
Stringent sewage effluent limits based on 
dissolved oxygen standards
Graphic: Sierra Club
ID-WA shared interests in the river: 
Lake Coeur d’Alene lake levels
Image: NIDT
Shared Economy
Photo: John Osborn


Spokane River & Aquifer: An Uncompacte Watershed

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=utton_pubs

Spokane River & Aquifer: An Uncompacte Watershed

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