Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Palouse officials have mailed a letter to remind residents to be mindful of protecting the town’s wells and water system by being careful about what they pour down storm drains.
The letter was also sent to businesses and public agencies.
“It’s to alert the public that we do have wells in the area and we’re requesting that people be mindful of what they pour into storm drains, on the ground or into septic tanks,” said Angela Taylor, Project Engineer with Taylor Engineering
“Most of the storm drains pour directly into the Palouse River, which then could infiltrate into the ground, not to mention other problems downstream.”
The city is in the process of developing a Source Water Protection Program, as required by the Washington State Department of Health. The plan is in conjunction with a wellhead protection plan drawn by Evergreen Rural Water of Shelton earlier this year.
Taylor Engineering of Pullman was hired by the city in April 2011 to develop the Source Water Protection Program.
“The main part of the water system plan is to describe the system itself and the people it serves,” said Taylor. “It deals with water tanks, the sizing of lines, flow deficiencies or pressure deficiencies. It’s really a planning document.”
The wellhead protection plan is an emergency response plan, in the case of contamination, said David Tysz of Evergreen Rural Water.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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