Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/740475
"WRDA provides new federal tools to address many of the issues faced as our water infrastructure crumbles due to age and growing demands. Americans have a right to expect water coming from their taps is safe to drink and Congress will do everything within its power to ensure that happens. Every community in America—urban, rural, and suburban neighborhoods—will be helped by the provisions we've been able to include in this bipartisan bill." Overwhelming support for Senate WRDA legislation provides important momentum for upcoming conference negotiations. If Senate provisions are adopted, the Savings Act would be signed into law by December—provid- ing an important boost to rural commu- nities seeking information on drinking water systems. Other key backers of the legislation are the Water Systems Council and the Water Quality Association. Mississippi-Tennessee Ground- water Dispute Case Will Be a Supreme Court First The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear for the first time a lawsuit that involves the use and distribution of groundwater reserves that lie beneath multiple state boundaries. The Court began its session in October and the case was slated to begin soon. Mississippi claims the city of Memphis' intense pumping of more than 140 million gallons daily is drawing groundwater that belongs to Mississippi. Memphis' wells have created "cones of depression" in the water table that suck water across state lines into Tennessee, according to the filing—which estimates 252 billion gallons have been "forcibly" taken since 1985. NGWA will continue to follow the case developments and had covered this particular subject at the 2008 Ground- water Summit in Memphis with a ses- sion titled "Groundwater Resources and Competition: Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee" that featured eight speakers giving presentations. These presenta- tions can be found in the NGWA Archives under the "Publications/Book- store" tab at www.NGWA.org. Exempt Well Regulation Struck Down by Montana Supreme Court T he Associated Press reported September 14 the Montana Supreme Court struck down a regulation that resulted in about 3000 permit-exempt water wells being drilled each year since 1993. According to the AP, there are now about 113,000 exempt wells across the state, and there would have been 78,000 more by the end of the decade if the reg- ulation stayed in place, says the major- ity opinion written by Justice Laurie McKinnon. "The loophole that existed amounted to a giveaway of our water resources in our state," says Laura King, the attorney who represented the Clark Fork Coali- tion and four people who sued to strike down the regulation. "We are thrilled with the court's decision and the fact the court has realized that large water users can't bypass the permitting process and drill a large number of wells." NEWS from page 12 waterwelljournal.com 14 November 2016 WWJ 800.635.7330 | 208.226.2017 | ams@ams-samplers.com | www.ams-samplers.com Equipping the World to Sample the Earth A l w ays M a d e i n t h e U . S . A . T h e W or l d 's F i n es t S a m p li ng E qu i p m e n t The AMS 9580-VTR PowerProbe™ is the largest rig in our PowerProbe line and is powered by a tier 4 nal, 74 HP Kohler liquid-cooled diesel engine. Its ergonomic design allows for the 350ft-lb hammer, 5,000ft-lb auger motor, 3,000lb winch, and auto- drop to be maneuverable over the same borehole without realigning or repositioning the machine. AMS manufactures a full line of tooling to complement each rig we manufacture. Together, we can save the world one sample at a time.