OUR GEM: Aquifer Model Updates for the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer

OUR GEM: Aquifer Model Updates for the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer

Guest authored by Suzanne Scheidt, Idaho Washington Aquifer Collaborative Board President The Idaho Washington Aquifer Collaborative (IWAC) is a collaborative of Spokane and Kootenai County water purveyors (managers) drawing from the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer (SVRPA) and partnering in the shared stewardship of the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer and the Spokane River watershed.     IWAC sponsored an Aquifer Education Training Course on Wednesday, September 24th at the Spokane County Water Resource Center. The morning class provided an update…

Spokane River

OUR GEM: Why the Spokane Ran Low and What It Means for the Future

Guest Authored by: Katelyn Scott, Spokane Riverkeeper Water Protector This summer, we saw stretches of the Spokane River run alarmingly low, and even completely dry. In some places, the thriving waterway we know and love completely disappeared. While it may feel sudden, there are clear reasons behind this—and a vision of how, together, we can keep water flowing in the future. The Spokane River and the Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer are two parts of the same system, constantly exchanging water….

Tranquil ocean waves under a soft sunset sky, perfect for backgrounds.

IWRRI Hiring Update

The Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) is in the midst of hiring and we have re-posted the Hydrogeology Research Scientist position. Required Education: PhD in relevant field or MS plus 2 years of experience Timeline: Applications will be reviewed the week of September 29th. Work Location: Idaho Falls or Boise, Idaho.   We invite applications from collaborative and innovative researchers committed to interdisciplinary approaches in water science and management. IWRRI scientists will conduct and coordinate community-identified actionable water research with the opportunity…

Xeriscape

OUR GEM: Water Smart

by William Rettig, Water Efficiency Specialist for the City of Spokane North Idaho summers are made for being outside, whether that’s cooling off in Coeur d’Alene Lake, hiking in the mountains, or tending to the yard, it’s impossible to spend too much time outdoors. But, when it comes to watering your lawn, more isn’t always better. Most people water too much, gaining little benefit for their grass and skyrocketing their utility bills. On average, lawns only need one inch of…

Two skiers ascend wintery hillside

BSU Team Develop New Approaches to Estimating Contributions to Streamflow

Boise State University faculty Anna Bergstrom and her team investigated rain and snowmelt contributions to streamflow in the Mores Creek Watershed spanning the rain-snow transition zone in southwestern Idaho. Researchers commonly use naturally occurring water isotopes to track water sources allowing for the quantification of if streams are sourced from rain or snow. By developing new approaches to define rain and snow isotopic signatures, Bergstrom and team found that streamflow contribution estimates can vary by up to 20%, depending on…

OUR GEM: Drought and Snowpack Update for the Idaho Panhandle

OUR GEM: Drought and Snowpack Update for the Idaho Panhandle

Written by Robin Fox, Service Hydrologist for the National Weather Service – Spokane After a dry and mild fall, many were looking forward to an increase of moisture across northern Idaho to lessen the drought impacts that have persisted for the last two years. Since last fall, the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has been advertising wetter than normal conditions for the winter season across the Inland NW with the arrival of La Niña. The rounds of…

OUR GEM: What determines a drought

OUR GEM: What determines a drought

By Erin Whorton, NRCS Water Supply Specialist | July 30, 2023 After the past few years of drought in Idaho, the wet winter was a welcome relief for many Idahoans.  However, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map, dry conditions still linger in northern Idaho. With 40% of Idaho lands experiencing drought conditions this summer, you may be wondering how drought maps are decided. The USDM map classifies drought conditions under six intensity categories. Normal indicates a lack of drought, while…

From the Mountains to Our Gem of a Lake

From the Mountains to Our Gem of a Lake

This story was written by Peter Youngblood on behalf of the Our Gem Collaborative team for the CDA Press on Sunday, February 19, 2023. Read the original article. Lakes and rivers in Northern Idaho are beautiful and inspire thoughts of recreation on warm summer days. However, these surface waters are also critical to our water supply and rely on one major thing — snow. The Coeur d’Alene-St. Joe Basin, which includes Coeur d’Alene Lake and the area that flows into it,…

We Don’t Pay for The Water We Use, We Pay for How We Use the Water

We Don’t Pay for The Water We Use, We Pay for How We Use the Water

This story was written by Craig Borrenpohl and John Beacham, City of Post Falls, in partnership with the Our Gem Collaborative. It appeared in the CDA Press on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. Read the original article. Contrary to what a utility bill might imply, we don’t actually pay for the water we use in northern Idaho. We, as citizens, already own the water we use; water in Idaho is a public trust resource. We’ve all heard that wise use of water,…

Managing Water Levels

Managing Water Levels in Coeur d’Alene Lake

This story was written by Meghan Lunney, Avista’s Spokane River license manager, as part of the Our Gem series in the CDA Press. It ran in the paper Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. Read the original article. Coeur d’Alene Lake was created after the last period of glaciation by a natural restriction at its outlet, the start of the Spokane River. In the 1890s, Fredrick Post constructed a mill and three dams nine miles downstream on the river at what is now…