The Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee (PBAC), the group in charge of ensuring the quality of the water supply in the Pullman-Moscow area, appointed Korey Woodley as its new executive manager.

Previous Executive Manager Steve Robischon will remain on the committee as the organization’s technical advisor. Woodley earned her master’s degree from WSU, according to a PBAC press release.

Palouse groundwater is the main water source for the area and is dissipating, according to an Integrated Basin Analysis of the Palouse Groundwater done by the University of Idaho’s water resources program.

The water supply in the region has been a concern since 1897. During a large decline in the 1950s, wells were dug to get the current water supply. Soil analysis showed that precipitation does not refill the water supply, making the well a non-renewable resource, according to the analysis.

The committee was formed in 1967 to deal with declining groundwater levels and to work toward a more sustainable water source in the Palouse, according to the PBAC website.

PBAC will be holding its next monthly meeting at 2 p.m. on Feb. 16 in Pullman City Hall.

Reporting by Danny Lochridge