The EPA may grant special protection status to an
aquifer that covers 14,000 square miles in eastern Washington and
portions of western Idaho. A local environmental group, the
Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute, petitioned the agency
in 1992 to designate the Eastern Columbia Plateau aquifer as the
“sole source” of drinking water for the area. The EPA agreed with
the group that if the groundwater system became contaminated,
260,000 people who depend on it for drinking water would have no
alternative supply. If the agency follows through with the formal
designation, any project receiving federal funding would be
reviewed to check whether it posed a threat to groundwater quality.
A massive regional landfill proposed for Adams County, Wash., would
not be directly affected because it is privately funded, says Tom
Lamar, Palouse-Clearwater’s executive director. But the aquifer
designation would cause a state review of the landfill (HCN,
5/7/94). For more information or to send in comments by Oct. 14,
contact Scott Downey, EPA (WD-133), 1200 Sixth Ave., Seattle, WA
98101 (800/424-4372).
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Sole source.
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