SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state agency says it would be possible to refill the aquifer that provides drinking water for the Spokane region with groundwater from near the southern part of Lake Pend Oreille (pon-duh-‘ray) in Idaho.
The Washington Department of Ecology said the effort is technically feasible, and provides an alternative for communities served by the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. The aquifer is the sole source of water for some 600,000 people in the Spokane area and northern Idaho, and people fear it is running short.
The study looked at three alternative sources for water, and said the best is using spring runoff water from near the lake. The water would be piped to Garwood, Idaho, and then injected into the aquifer. Lake water would naturally replenish the withdrawn groundwater.
