RESEARCH EFFORTS
PBAC manages a central clearinghouse of technical documents related to basin hydrogeology. Below is a short list of the most data and research produced regarding the Palouse Basin Aquifer System. Additional documentation can be provided by contacting PBAC.
Palouse Basin Research Database
In 2016, an effort to organize and catalog the hundreds of geologic and hydrogeologic studies regarding the Palouse Basin Aquifer System took place, called the Palouse Ground Water Basin Framework Project. The Framework Project entailed four major tasks:
1. assembling Palouse Basin geologic and hydrogeologic documents and developing a metadata database,
2. reviewing and synthesizing the documents,
3. identifying areas of deficiency in the hydrogeologic literature and outlining potential projects, and
4. final conclusions and recommendations.
Bringing Together the Research
In this continuous lecture series, John H. Bush, emeritus faculty for the Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences at University of Idaho, summarizes relevant Palouse Groundwater Basin research to create a generalized model of the aquifers. This ten-part series covers our current understanding of the complex groundwater system including geologic history, groundwater movement, and aquifer recharge.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Visits the Palouse Basin!
A team of researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) visited the Palouse Groundwater Basin on May 8-12, 2023. The effort is being led by geochemist Alan Seltzer, Assistant Scientist at WHOI in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, who runs the Seltzer Lab: Seltzer Lab @ WHOI. The Lab specializes in applications of inert gases as quantitative tracers of physical processes in nature. Their current research spans a wide range in both space and time: from using noble gases tracers in the deep ocean to better understand large-scale changes in ocean ventilation in the past, present, and future, to constraining groundwater recharge and flow pathways, to simulating picosecond- and angstrom-scale interactions between dissolved gas atoms and water molecules that give rise to the isotopic signals we observe in nature.
WHOI is interested in understanding the physical properties of groundwater recharge, mixing, flow, and residence time in the Columbia River Basalt aquifers. WHOI had two research teams collecting up to 20 well samples from across the Palouse Basin measuring geochemical tracers of groundwater age, flow, and environmental parameters like temperature and water table depth. The research will build on earlier work done under the direction of University of Idaho Earth and Spatial Science Professor Jeff Langman.
Recent Research Projects
| Year | Title | Researchers | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022, in progress | Monitoring the Ambient Seismic Field to Track Groundwater at a Mountain-Front Recharge Zone in the Columbia River Basalt Province | Quinn Buzzard, Jeff B. Langman, David Behrens, Timothy C. Bartholomaus, and James G. Moberly | Proposal, in progress for publication and M.S. thesis |
| 2022 | Review of Research from 2009 to the Present about Miocene Aquifers in the Moscow-Pullman Area and Basic Facts about the Aquifers | John Bush | Report to PBAC |
| 2022 | Palouse Groundwater Basin Water Supply Alternatives Report | Alta Science & Engineering, Inc, Jacobs, SPF Water Engineering, McCormick Water Strategies | Summary/Full Report to PBAC |
| 2022 | Digital Data Sets for Pumping Wells and Observation Wells Used in the Long-Term, Palouse Basin Aquifer Test Initiated in November 2009 (t=0 to 372 days) | Attlia Folnagy, Jim Osiensky | Report to PBAC |
| 2022 | Boundaries of the "Palouse Basin" Aquifer System in the Moscow- Pullman Area, Idaho and Washington | John H. Bush, Steve Robischon, and Pamela Dunlap | Report to PBAC, find more maps on the Information page |
| 2022 | Critical Assessment and Recommendations for Future Research from the 2021 Moscow-Pullman Basin Aquifer Groundwater Model | Nicholas B. Engdahl | Proposal, final report not received |
| 2021 | A Basin-Scale Groundwater Flow Model of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System in the Palouse (USA): Insights for Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment | Giacomo Medici, Nicholas B. Engdahl and Jeffery B. Langman | publication |
| 2021 | Tracing δ18O and δ2H in Source Waters and Recharge Pathways of a Fractured-Basalt and Interbedded-Sediment Aquifer, Columbia River Flood Basalt Province | David Behrens | M.S. thesis |
| 2021 | Tracing δ18O and δ2H in Source Waters and Recharge Pathways of a Fractured-Basalt and Interbedded-Sediment Aquifer, Columbia River Flood Basalt Province | David Behrens, Jeff B. Langman, Erin S. Brooks, Jan Boll, Kristopher Waynant, James G. Moberly, Jennifer K. Dodd and John W. Dodd | publication |
| 2019 | Isotopic Discrimination of Aquifer Recharge Sources, Subsystem Connectivity and Flow Patterns in the South Fork Palouse River Basin, Idaho and Washington, USA | Kyle A. Duckett, Jeff B. Langman, John H. Bush, Erin S. Brooks, Pamela Dunlap and Jeffrey M. Welker | Proposal, Publication |
| 2019 | Isotopic Discrimination of Aquifer Recharge Sources, Subsystem Connectivity and Flow Patterns in the South Fork Palouse River Basin, Idaho and Washington, USA | Kyle A. Duckett | M.S. thesis |
| 2019 | Noble Gases, Dead Carbon, and Reinterpretation of Groundwater Ages and Travel Time in Local Aquifers of the Columbia River Basalt Group | Kyle A. Duckett, Jeff B. Langman, John H. Bush, Erin S. Brooks, Pamela Dunlap and Jessica R. Stanley | publication |
| 2019 | A Collection of Geologic Maps, Cross Sections, and Schematic Diagrams that Illustrate the Subsurface Geology of the Moscow- Pullman Basin and Vicinity | John H. Bush, Pamela Dunlap, and Daisuke Kobayashi | Report to PBAC |
| 2018 | Structure Contours on the Top of the Grande Ronde Basalt in the Moscow-Pullman Basin and Vicinity, Idaho and Washington | John H. Bush and Pamela Dunlap | publication |
| 2018 | Geologic Cross Sections Across the Moscow-Pullman Basin, Idaho and Washington | John H. Bush, Pamela Dunlap, Stephen P. Reidel, and Daisuke Kobayashi | publication |
| 2018 | Miocene Evolution of the Moscow-Pullman Basin, Idaho and Washington | John H. Bush, Pamela Dunlap and Stephen P. Reidel | Publication |
| 2018 | Geologic Interpretations of Wells and Important Rock Outcrops in the Moscow-Pullman Basin and Vicinity, Idaho and Washington | John H. Bush and Pamela Dunlap | Publication, ArcGIS Map |
| 2017 | Palouse Groundwater Basin Water Supply Alternatives Analysis Report | Anchor QEA, HRD, EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC | Summary / Final Report |
| 2016 | Identifying Groundwater Recharge Pathways in the Moscow Sub- basin | E.S. Brooks, J. Candel, E. Verhoeff, M. Dobre, R. Sanchez-Murillo, G.W. Grader and R. Dijksma | PDF slide show presentation |
| 2016 | Geology and Geologic History of the Moscow-Pullman Basin, Idaho and Washington, from Late Grande Ronde to Late Saddle Mountains Time | John H. Bush, Dean L. Garwood and Pamela Dunlap | publication |
| 2016 | Identifying Groundwater Recharge Connections in the Moscow (USA) Sub-basin Using Isotopic Tracers and a Soil Moisture Routing Model | Jasper Candel, Erin Brooks, Ricardo Sánchez- Murillo, George Grader and Roel Dijksma | M.S. Thesis |
| 2016 | Framework Project Bibliography, updated | Report to PBAC | |
| 2015 | A Columbia River Basalt Group Aquifer in Sustained Drought: Insight from Geophysical Methods [Revised May 2016] | Mark W. Piersol and Kenneth F. Sprenke | Publication |
| 2014 | Properties of the Grande Ronde Aquifer in the vicinity of Moscow, Idaho from the Synthesis of Aquifer Test Results with Seismic Groundwater Response | Scott Ducar | Senior Thesis |
| 2014 | Generating Aquifer Specific Storage Properties from Groundwater Responses to Seismic Rayleigh Waves | Attila J.B. Folnagy, Kenneth F. Sprenke, James L. Osiensky and Daisuke Kobayashi | Poster |
| 2014 | Grande Ronde Basalt across the Kamiak Gap: the Gravity Model Revisited using Constraints from the DOE Butte Gap Monitoring Well | Mark W. Piersol and Kenneth F. Sprenke | Report to PBAC |
| 2014 | Identifying Hydrologic Recharge Connections in the Moscow Sub- basin Using Isotopic and Caffeine Tracers | Erin Brooks, Jasper Candel, Roel Dijksma, Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo, Todd Anderson and Craig Woodruff | Progress Report to PBAC |
| 2014 | Basalt Stratigraphy of the Moscow #9 and UI #4 wells; Evidence for the Moscow Fault | Rick Conrey and Kyler Crow | PDF Slide Show |
| 2014 | The Clear Creek Fault at Glenwood Springs, WA | Kyler Crow and Rick Conrey | PDF Slide Show |
| 2014 | Seasonal Evolution of Hydrologic Connectivity in a Tile-drained Agricultural Catchment; An Environmental Tracer Study | Bryan J. Donaldson | M.S. thesis |
| 2013 | Geology of the Palouse Basin DOE test wells | Rick Conrey, Chris Beard and John Wolff | PDF Slide Show |
| 2013 | Columbia River Basalt Flow Stratigraphy in the Palouse Basin Department of Ecology Test Wells | Richard Conrey, Chris Beard and John Wolff | Report to PBAC |
| 2013 | Specific Storage from Sparse Records of Groundwater Response to Seismic Waves | Attila J.B. Folnagy, James L. Osiensky, Daisuke Kobayashi and Kenneth F. Sprenke | Publication |
| 2013 | WDOE Monitoring Well Installation Results | Dale Ralston, Robin Nimmer, and Chris Beard | PDF Slide Show |
| 2013 | Draft Palouse Basin Monitor Well Construction Program | TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering, Inc., and Ralston Hydrologic Services | report to PBAC |
| 2013 | Framework Database Bibliography | Report to PBAC | |
| 2012 | Long-Term Grande Ronde Aquifer Stress Testing to Delineate Aquifer Compartmentalization and Water Level Responses in the Palouse Groundwater Basin | Attila Jonathan Bela Folnagy | M.S. Thesis |
| 2012 | Stable Isotope Analysis of Surface Water and Precipitation in the Palouse Basin: Hydrologic Tracers of Aquifer Recharge | Nathan Moxley | M.S. Thesis |
| 2012 | Well Siting for Proposed Washington Department of Ecology Monitoring Wells in the Palouse Basin | TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering, Inc., and Ralston Hydrologic Services | report to PBAC |
| 2012 | Modeling Semi-Permeable Boundaries in the Palouse Groundwater Basin | Andrew Spencer | Senior Thesis |
| 2011 | Sustainable Water Resource Management and Participatory System Dynamics. Case Study: Developing the Palouse Basin Participatory Model | Allyson Beall, Fritz Fiedler, Jan Boll and Barbara Cosens | publication |
| 2011 | Evaluation of Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes in Groundwater of the Palouse Basin and Moscow Sub-basin | Lauren R. Carey | M.S. Thesis |
| 2011 | Groundwater Recharge in Pleistocene Sediments Overlying Basalt Aquifers in the Palouse Basin, USA: Modeling of Distributed Recharge Potential and Identification of Water Pathways | Roel Dijksma, Erin S. Brooks and Jan Boll | publication and M.S. thesis |
| 2011 | Aquifer Storage Properties from Groundwater Fluctuations induced by Seismic Rayleigh Waves | Attila J.B. Folnagy, Kenneth F. Sprenke and James L. Osiensky | Poster |
| 2011 | Miocene Latah Formation and Subsurface Geology Along the Moscow Subbasin Margin: "Recharge from the East" Revisited | George Grader | report to PBAC |
| 2011 | Evaluation of the relationship between pumping and water level declines in the Grande Ronde Aquifer of the Palouse Basin | Kathryn Moran | Report to PBAC |
| 2011 | Interpretation of Long-Term Grande Ronde Aquifer Testing in the Palouse Basin of Idaho and Washington | Kathryn Moran | M.S. Thesis |
| 2011 | Opportunities for Collaboration: A Situational Assessment of the Palouse Basin | Saundra Richartz | Powerpoint Slide Show |
| 2011 | Evaluation of the Relationship Between Pumping and Water Level Declines in the Grande Ronde Aquifer of the Palouse Basin | Kathryn Moran | report to PBAC |
| 2011 | Palouse Ground Water Basin Framework Project Final Report | TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering, Inc., and Ralston Hydrologic Services | Final Report / Appendices |
| 2010 | Basalt lava stratigraphy beneath Pullman and Moscow: implications for the flow of groundwater | R. M. Conrey and J. A. Wolff | Poster |
| 2010 | Relative Age Dating of Groundwater in the Palouse Aquifer and Moscow Subbasin using Tritium and 0-18 Concentrations | Lauren Carey | Powerpoint Slide Show |
| 2009 | Strategically Designed Pumping to Maximize Induced Ground Water Recharge to the Wanapum Aquifer System in the Moscow, Idaho Area | Brad Bennett and Jim Osiensky | Poster |
| 2009 | Recharge Implications of Strategic Pumping of the Wanapum Aquifer System in the Moscow Sub-basin | Brad Bennett | M.S. Thesis |
| 2009 | Using Tritium Concentrations to Age Date Groundwater in the Palouse Basin | Lauren Carey and Jim Osiensky | Poster |
| 2009 | Well Interference Effects in the Grande Ronde Aquifer System in the Moscow-Pullman Area of Idaho and Washington | Aaren Fiedler | M.S. Thesis, PDF Slide Show Presentation |
| 2009 | Long-Term, Basin-Wide Grande Ronde Aquifer Test | Katie Moran | Poster |
| 2009 | Estimating Recharge Uncertainty using Bayesian Model Averaging and Expert Elicitation with Social Implications | Matthew Reeves | M.S. Thesis |
| 2009 | Surface-water/Groundwater Interactions and Near-stream Groundwater Quality along the Palouse River, South Fork Palouse River, and Paradise Creek | Kirk Sinclair and James Kardouni | Publication |
| 2008 | Residential Landscape Water Use and Conservation | Barbara Jane Andersen | Ph.D Thesis |
| 2007 | Implementation of a groundwater monitoring program and aquifer testing in the wanapum aquifer system, latah county, idaho | Nicole M. Badon | M.S. Thesis |
| 2007 | Observations of recharge to the Wanapum Aquifer system in the Moscow area, Latah County, Idaho | Hannah P. Hernandez | M.S. Thesis |
| 2007 | Grande Ronde Aquifer characterization in the Palouse Basin | Mike McVay | M.S. Thesis |
| 2007 | Evaluation of Cleaning and Rehabilitation of University of Idaho Well #2 on the Local Groundwater Systems, in the Moscow, Idaho Area | Chad C. Opatz | M.S. Thesis |
| 2007 | Stretch Potential of Data Logger Reel Material | Jon Jacobson | Poster |
| 2007 | Boundary Conditions Between Moscow and Pullman | Chelsea Sherman | Poster |
| 2007 | Summary of Well Completion and Geologic Information from the Construction of Four Test Wells near the City of Moscow, Idaho | Dale Ralston, RHS | Memorandum |
| 2006 | Geologic Report on Moscow Monitoring Wells | John Bush | Report to PBAC |
| 2006 | Groundwater flow conditions related to the pre-basalt basement geometry delineated by gravity measurements near Kamiak Butte, eastern Washington | Derek Holom | M.S. Thesis |
| 2006 | Latah county hydrologic characterization project | Jerry P. Fairley, Mark D. Solomon, Jennifer J. Hinds, George W. Grader, John H. Bush, and Amber L. Rand | Report to IDWR |
| 2006 | Hydrogeological characterization of the Palouse basin basalt aquifer system, Washington and Idaho | Farida Leek | M.S. Thesis |
| 2005 | Electrical characterization of a three-phase, tracer, injection test | Robin E. Nimmer | Ph.D Thesis |
| 2004 | Radiocarbon dating as a tool for hydrogeological investigations in the Palouse basin | Alyssa A. Douglas | M.S. Thesis |
| 2003 | A Recession Analysis on Springs and Streams in the Moscow-Pullman Basin | Diane Hopster | M.S. Thesis |
| 2003 | Characterization of grande ronde aquifers in the palouse basin using large scale aquifer tests | Dennis Owsley | M.S. Thesis |
| 2002 | Assessment of Hydrologic Processes across multiple scales in soil/paleosol sequences using environmental tracers | Anothony Tobin O’Geen | Ph.D Thesis |
| 2001 | Estimate of seasonal water runoff from the Moscow mountain front, Moscow Idaho | Juliet McKenna | Report to PBAC |
| 1999 | Geological and Hydrogeological References: Palouse Region | John Bush, Steve Gill, Christian Petrich and Jack Pierce | Report to PBAC |
| 1999 | Summary of Research Completed on the Moscow-Pullman Basin Hydrology | Bill Belknap | Report to PBAC |
| 1999 | Water Conservation Opportunities for the Palouse | Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute | Report to PBAC |
| 1994 | The Relation between streams and groundwater flow systems within the Pullman-Moscow area of Washington and Idaho | Ronald Heinemann | M.S. Thesis |
| 1966 | Interpretation of Short Term Water Fluctuations in the Moscow Basin Latah County, Idaho | Daniel Sokol | Idaho Bureau of Mines & Geology Pamphlet |
| 1960 | Groundwater Problems in the Vicinity of Moscow, Latah County, Idaho | P.R. Stevens | USGS Report |