Category Archives: Idaho

Business/Economics, Idaho

Pocatello & Chubbuck, Idaho, running out of water

The city of Pocatello is back to the drawing board after voting against buying $6.2 million worth of water rights.  The deal would have been made with Portneuf Marsh Valley Canal Company.  City officials backed out after credible threats of lawsuits from water users “downstream”.

Water is a big issue for Pocatello.  Its main source of water is the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer, and it’s running dry.  The Portneuf River flows through Pocatello, but it does not recharge the aquifer, and the city does not take any water from it.

To add to the problem, the city of Pocatello is not the only one using the Aquifer, the city of Chubbuck also gets its water from the same source.

For a long time it was thought that surface water runoff made its way to the ground water (Aquifer), but now its known that most surface water runoff just ends up in rivers heading out to the oceans (although some recharging comes from Mink Creek, and snow).

Geoscientists believe the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer was created 17,000 years ago when a natural dam broke, releasing a huge sea into the area (Bonneville Flood).  Part of that sea was trapped in what is now known as Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer.

Another issue is that while many aquifers are held in small rock formations, even pebbles and sand, the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer is trapped by huge boulders, which were part of the natural dam holding back the ancient sea.  You can see huge boulders around the area now.  Every time a housing development goes in they end up spending a lot of time digging out the boulders in order to put in basements.  It has also resulted in lucrative local rock mining businesses.

The water in the Aquifer is almost finite, it does not easily recharge as was once thought.

However, while most rain ends up in rivers, any water from slow melting snow, or used on farms or residential properties can get into the Aquifer.  The problem is that large boulders do not filter the incoming surface water, like sand or pebble aquifers. This means the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer is very vulnerable to contamination.

To add to that, the soil is only about 2 to 8 feet thick, before you hit rock.  I can attest to that since I’ve done a lot of landscaping here, and I grow vegetables and fruits.  I can dig the depth of a shovel blade and hit rocks 4 inches in diameter or bigger.  The thin soil means if you dump used motor oil on the ground, or use chemicals on your garden, it’s almost instantly heading for the Aquifer.

There is a three part (boring, basically a college lecture from 2010) video explanation of the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer issue, presented by Glenn Thackray of Idaho State University:

 

Thackray explains that the cities, residents, farmers and businesses take out more water from the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer, per year, than what flows into the Aquifer.  This has been going on for a long time, and is why we’re running out of water.  Add to that the fact that we’ve had some very dry winters, with less than normal snowfall (a big source of recharge, because it melts into the ground, unlike rain that runs off).  The water level has been dropping since the 1990s.

Pocatello city officials say they are taking this issue seriously, and are being proactive about finding a solution.

Idaho, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Idaho city charges residents for antiquated water system that many don’t use

“It really doesn’t do much good if the money goes back to repairing the irrigation system. I can’t use it. I’m paying for a service I have no choice to pay for, but I have no access to the benefits.”-Mary Fullmer, 77 year old school bus driver

The city of Gooding, Idaho, is charging residents $104.00 per year for an antiquated irrigation system that many don’t use, not even the mayor: “It’s an old and broken system. But we can’t stop charging people. I even have to pay the fee, and I don’t use the irrigation system either.”-Duke Morton, Gooding Mayor 

Six years ago Mary Fullmer’s access to the irrigation system was cut off, when the city cemented over the pipes that connected her property to the system.  Yet she still has to pay $104 per year.
Many city residents complain about the fee, and city officials claim they’re looking for an alternative, but they admit they don’t see it as a priority.

Business/Economics, Idaho

What Economic Recovery: Idaho unemployment edged up, still at 9.4%, almost no new jobs created in June

Even though Idaho’s unemployment rate is still 9.4% (for several months now) it actually edged up by 500 newly unemployed, for the month of June.

To make matters worse, the Idaho Department of Labor says most of the 15,000 people who found jobs in June, are filling existing positions.  In other words almost no new jobs were created.

Sadly the 15,000 who found work is the highest number since October 2010, yet still far below the average hirings before the 2007/8 credit crisis.

Idaho officials also said that 1,800 unemployed people stopped looking for work in June.

Idaho, U.S.

What Global Warming? E Coli contamination in Idaho blamed on cooler than normal weather

An outbreak of e.coli in the water at Sandy Point Beach, at the Lucky Peak State Park in Idaho, could be caused by colder than normal weather.

Officials with Parks and Recreation think cold weather delayed the circulation of water through the swimming area.

Because winter like conditions lasted well into spring, the Army Corps of Engineers were not able to create the usual lagoon current, that normally flushes out the swimming area.  The result is that officials suspect geese droppings built up in the water, resulting in high levels of e.coli.

The swimming area is now being flushed.

Idaho, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Idaho officials fail to post adequate warning signs for E Coli, people swimming in contaminated water

At the beginning of July, Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality issued a no swimming warning for Sandy Point Beach, at Lucky Peak State Park, because of e.coli.

Officials claim warning signs are posted, but people who’re swimming in the contaminated water say “what signs?”:   “We stopped and we were looking, we were looking for any kind of anything.”-Loretta Vincent of Boise

“We were swimming and had been swimming for quite some time before they finally came and told us.”-Claudia Craw of Meridian

Idaho, Opinion, U.S.

Government Coverup? Idaho police cleared of killing man who was shot several times

On June 17, Idaho Falls police officers tried to apprehend a man wanted for failing to pay fines, and probation violation.  It ended after the man shot one cop, who lived thanks to his bullet proof vest, then the other police returned fire, shooting the suspect at least six times.

The official investigation said the police fired in self defense.  The shots fired by police hit the man in the neck, shoulders and abdomen.  The official investigation claims that the suspect shot himself in the head, after being shot multiple times by the police.  Here’s the problem: The police officers’ own official statements say they do not recall seeing the suspect shoot himself!  Mmmm

 

Fukushima, Idaho

Idaho EPA RadNet sites not working

14 July 2011, I tried to access the Idaho Department of Environmental EPA RadNet site.  All I got was a “Server Error” message.

I then tried accessing the Idaho Falls RadNet site, directly through the Environmental Protection Agency’s web site.  I got an EPA page that said “The requested item was not found on the EPA’s Web Server”.

Fukushima, Idaho, U.S.

Government Coverup: Radiation from Japan hitting the United States!

“Iodine level in the rain in Idaho in the United States were 130 times that standard… we are very concerned that radioactive cesium was many times above the standard as well.”–Gerry Pollet, Heart of America Northwest

When the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors exploded in Japan, U.S. officials ensured the public that they would increase radiation monitoring.  I’ve reported in earlier postings that most EPA RadNet sites in the western U.S. are shut down, and that other sites can give only limited results.

Now a group based in Washington, Heart of America Northwest, has done their own investigations into contaminated drinking water in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

In a previous posting I suggested that the people of concerned communities need to get together and have their own testing done, on plants, water and soil, even their own urine.  This is what the Japanese have been forced to do, no thanks to the incompetence of their national government.  It’s been those grass roots citizen groups in Japan that have been revealing the truth about the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Heart of America Northwest also has some warnings about current nuclear waste programs in the Pacific Northwest, like the dumping of nuke waste in unlined pits.