Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
A rendering of a proposed water tower that may be built on land at the Greenwood Cemetery in Palouse. Illustration courtesy TD&H Engineering.
Completion of a cultural report for the site of a proposed water tower in Palouse now goes forward after Whitman County Superior Court approved lots to be removed from designation as cemetery land at Greenwood Cemetery June 15.
The City of Palouse filed the petition, which de-obligates a 40x40 foot area which has not been used in the city-owned cemetery.
The cultural report, now being done by Plateau Archaeological Investigations of Pullman, is expected to be done before the Fourth of July.
"I would anticipate it wrapped up this week," said David Harder, archaeologist for Plateau Archaeological Investigations.
Once complete, the report will be sent to the USDA, as part of an application the city filed last fall with the USDA as a potential funding source for the tower project through a USDA Rural Development grant.
If the town receives USDA approval, the town will next decide whether to go ahead with the project.
The water tower idea comes after the city turned off its pre-1900 reservoir two years ago. The 130,000-gallon tank, on the north hill behind the high school, acted as a backup.
With the old reservoir off line, the city now solely uses its newer reservoir, built in 1974, a 500,000 gallon structure next to the original.
"We need to have more education with the new city council members, and the public as well," said Michelle Bly of TD&H Engineering in Lewiston, project engineer. "That they still feel comfortable with moving forward with the project."
In January, the city approved a $10,000 expenditure for the cultural survey, which will determine if any historical artifacts or remnants are beneath the surface of where the tower would go on city-owned cemetery land at the highest point on the south hill.
"Any evidence of pre-contact archaeological sites," said David Harder, archaeologist for Plateau Archaeoligical Investigations. "Prior to the written record of the area – Native Americans."
Kramers Funeral Home of Palouse has confirmed there are no burials or plots sold on the land.
The plans have drawn some controversy from citizens questioning the effectiveness of the proposed tower and what it will look like when built.
"There's other ways to build water pressure up there without creating an ugly eyesore at the cemetery, in my opinion," said Colleen Boone, a resident who spoke to the city council about the matter June 12.
Last year, the Palouse city council began to examine what it might take to put in a new reservoir of some kind.
Bly was hired in December 2016 after a windstorm damaged the now-closed reservoir.
Eight alternative sites were considered by engineers before the cemetery site was chosen as the preferred option.
Water use
A water tower stores water just like a reservoir.
If built in Palouse, the tower could hold as much as 300,000 gallons.
Funding has yet to be secured, while the timing may play a role in allowing it to happen.
The city is one payment away from paying off a 20-year loan on well no. 3, which opened in 2001.
If the water tower is built, the payments for the well may shift straight to a loan for the water tower.
The elevation of the proposed tower would be calculated in regard to the height of the reservoir on the north side.
Reservoirs – towers or otherwise – work together through an electrical system.
A cultural survey begins with background research on an area to check for any known archaeological sites, historic properties or settlements. Field work follows, in which a crew will perform sub-surface probing as much as a meter deep to look for items such as stone tools, arrowheads, foundations or wells.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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