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Municipal drinking water in Pullman, Moscow, and Palouse comes from wells drawing on the Palouse Basin’s lower aquifer system beneath parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Many domestic wells instead tap the upper aquifer. The groundwater is held in basalt and sediment—not in underground lakes or rivers—and regional withdrawals still exceed recharge.

Where does Palouse Basin drinking water come from?

The Palouse Groundwater Basin crosses the Washington–Idaho border, including parts of Whitman and Latah counties. The Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC) says the groundwater system supplies more than 80,000 people, including residents of Pullman, Moscow, and Palouse, as well as Washington State University and the University of Idaho. PBAC’s basin overview

The basin has two major aquifer systems. Municipal wells in Pullman, Moscow, and Palouse currently draw from the lower aquifer; most domestic wells typically use the upper aquifer. In Moscow’s terminology, the shallower system is the Wanapum aquifer and the deeper one is the Grande Ronde aquifer. PBAC reports that water levels in the two systems generally differ by more than 100 feet and that their connection is minor. PBAC’s basin overview City of Moscow water FAQ

How is groundwater stored underground?

An aquifer is not an open pool or flowing underground river. In the Palouse Basin, water occupies cracks, pores, and fissures in basalt and sediment layers. The USGS has described productive groundwater zones in Columbia River basalt and sands interbedded with the Latah Formation in the Moscow Basin; that account is historical geology, not a current inventory of municipal wells. City of Moscow water FAQ USGS account from 1975

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How much water is pumped, and are groundwater levels falling?

PBAC reports that the City of Pullman, City of Moscow, City of Palouse, Washington State University, and University of Idaho pumped 2.3 billion gallons in 2024. That figure excludes private residential well use, so it is not a total for every withdrawal in the basin. PBAC’s current statement, accessed in 2026, reports average aquifer-level declines of about 0.7 feet per year, compared with declines exceeding one foot per year in the 1990s. PBAC on groundwater use and levels

PBAC also reports that per-capita water use over roughly 30 years fell by 30% in Pullman/WSU and 43% in Moscow/UI. The committee credits conservation with slowing the decline, but says regional use still exceeds recharge. These are PBAC’s comparisons for the named city-and-university groupings, not a single basin-wide household-use measure. PBAC on groundwater use and levels

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Who monitors the basin and manages water use?

PBAC brings together cities, counties, universities, and state water agencies across the state line. Its work includes monitoring groundwater levels and annual use, supporting research and public education, and implementing the Groundwater Management Plan enacted in 1992. PBAC says conservation alone will not stabilize groundwater levels or meet the needs of growing communities; it identifies a supplemental source as necessary. PBAC on groundwater use and levels PBAC and the management plan

Is a supplemental water source already supplying the basin?

The sources describe supplemental supply as a planning effort, not a project confirmed to be delivering water. A 2022 alternatives report considers four preliminary approaches, including surface-water diversions and combinations of direct delivery and aquifer recharge. 2022 alternatives report

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Clearwater River diversion and aquifer recharge

One concept described by PBAC would divert Clearwater River water, treat it, and inject it into the aquifer during high-flow periods for storage and later recovery. Feasibility, treatment requirements, environmental and cultural effects, and the implications of placing treated surface water into a naturally filtered aquifer are among the issues PBAC discusses. The page describes a potential approach, not an operating supply system. PBAC’s Clearwater River information

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How is Palouse Basin water treated?

Treatment and water-quality details depend on the utility; the regional source information does not establish one treatment sequence for every city or campus. The City of Palouse says its annual Consumer Confidence Report covers source water, sampling, treatment, and water-quality findings, and its page lists recent reports. For treatment processes or compliance results, consult the latest report from the specific utility serving the address. City of Palouse water-quality reports

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