An indefensible public-relations disaster from the beginning, this was the wrong hill to die on — unlike race-based chattel slavery.

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Logos withdraws water right application

School opts to hook up to city water system instead of installing well to irrigate sports fields

By Garrett Cabeza
Daily News staff writer

Logos School administrators decided the school will use the city’s water system to irrigate a green space at the site of its proposed new school, located on North Mountain View Road, adjacent to Mountain View Park in Moscow.

While the school was considering constructing a well as a backup water supply for its green space, Logos School Superintendent Larry Stephenson said is no longer an option and the school recently withdrew its water right application to the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

The application included the installation of a well that would be allowed to pump no more than 13,000 gallons of water per day to irrigate the field at the site of the proposed school, which will be constructed as time and money allow.

Stephenson said the school, currently located on Baker Street, withdrew the application after meeting with city, county and state officials as well as engineers and concerned residents who feared the school would take all their water.

Stephenson said the school has already obtained the right to use retention ponds, which would serve as the primary irrigation method for the field. He said the original goal was to only use the retention ponds to water the field, and if they go dry, the well would be used until the ponds regain water again.

Now, the city’s water system will serve as the backup water supply if the ponds are empty.

Stephenson said he believes the retention ponds will be sufficient for irrigating the field once the school and parking lot are constructed.

The three retention ponds will hold the water running off impervious surfaces such as the roof and parking lot.

Stephenson said he believes using surface water and the city’s water system will be the best approach for not only the school but the city, county and the aquifer.

“We want to be good team players and good members of the community,” Stephenson said.

He said he was told the water right application could have been successful because the request was reasonable, but Stephenson said the well would not be necessary in the long term.

Stephenson said he expects the field to be ready for the school’s lacrosse players to use in the spring.

He told county commissioners last month the school has never had a grass field to call its own in its almost four decades of existence.

He expects sod to be installed this month and hopes rain will provide enough to irrigate the field this fall.

Stephenson said he would like to be hooked up to the city’s water system by Nov. 1, but whether the connection is made or not, he does not think the school will need to use the city’s system to irrigate the field this fall.

If rain is not sufficient to water the field, he said water tanks will be used as a backup.

Tyler Palmer, Moscow deputy director of operations for public works, said the city has been working with Logos to figure out the best solution for the school’s water needs and that details are still in the works.

“We’re optimistic that we’ve got a plan put together in conjunction with them that will work out and that will tie them in with the city system,” Palmer said.

Several residents expressed concern over the application to Latah County Commissioners last month. Concerns stemmed from water conservation, to one resident who lives near the proposed school site claiming the school well would potentially affect her ability to draw water from her two wells.

“We always prefer for people who are within the city to be on the city’s water system,” Palmer said. “It allows us to closely monitor the amount of water that’s actually being extracted from the aquifer, and then we’re able to collectively manage it as a community.”

The school building will also be hooked to the city’s water system.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza [at] dnews.com.

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