An interesting story made its way through the region last week and we wanted to make sure you were aware of it.

Dr. Venkataramana Sridhar, the assistant professor of civil engineering at Boise State University, just finished a study on how climate change will impact the Spokane Valley - Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer over the next 50 years.

Becky Kramer of the Spokesman reported, "Over the next 50 years, temperatures are projected to rise about half a degree per decade in the Spokane River Basin as a result of higher carbon dioxide levels and other so-called greenhouse gases. Annual precipitation should stay roughly the same. But even with stable precipitation, the aquifer could experience declines, said Sridhair, an engineer who specializes in water resources."

Terry Harris on the Kootenai Environmental Alliance blog wrote, "This morning I attended Dr. Venkataramana Sridhar’s talk on climate change related impacts expected to occur on the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.  Interesting was the fact that five different models are used to predict the range of water flow in the context of differing CO2 emission scenarios.  Depending upon the amount of CO2 discharged into the atmosphere, the climate could be expected to warm as little as .18 degrees Fahrenheit in a decade to as much as 9.7 degrees Fahrenheit.  The models generally predict a 4-5% increase in precipitation, although some predict a decrease.  Notably though, all five models in Dr. Sridhar’s study predict that peak flows will shift from May to April due to earlier snowmelt."

The Couer d'Alene Press wrote about the study too - interesting to note from their coverage was this great quote from Bill Irving, president of the Coeur d'Alene chapter of the Climate Change Action Network.  ""It's historic. There has never been a 50-year perspective on something as important as this, our aquifer.  I just think it's well worth people's time to hear his presentation and ask questions. We're talking about not just now, but your kids' and grandkids' futures."

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