Pleasant and peril converge without H2O

We have a pleasant view but many of us don’t have the extra water to wash the windows.

The Pleasant View Neighborhood Association was formed almost a year ago. We are a nonprofit 503 (c) association registered with the state of Idaho. We are in the western section of Kootenai County that lies roughly between Stateline and Signal Point, south of the Spokane River. Our area consists of two watersheds: Scalan Creek and Cable Creek.

Our Mission Statement is: To preserve the quality of life for residents and landowners of the Pleasant View area, with an emphasis on the peaceful enjoyment of our property, coupled with a reasonable expectation of abundant fresh, clean groundwater for us and our posterity.

We have spent numerous hours, during our weekly Monday evening meetings, discussing efforts of raising awareness to others in our area about the water concern. We have collected well data through personal testimonies of water issues from fellow neighbors. Many people share our concern of water availability. In fact, 55% of the 60 wells we have collected data for have experienced a noticeable decrease in water production. Included in that figure is a significant number of wells which either no longer produce at all, or which have been drilled in recent years with virtually no water production.

Our request is not for a building ban, nor for a ban on drilling new wells. It is simply a six-month pause in subdivisions — and only in the Pleasant View area — to give us time to study with an inter-agency group and report back to the Kootenai County commissioners.

Imminent peril? Yes, it is! We either get a handle on this situation now, or one day in the not-so-distant future, we will be a subdivided area that requires residents to truck in their water for the most basic necessities of life. Not enough groundwater available for our neighborhood is just the start of how our Pleasant View area will decline. Not enough water also means the trees suffer, wildlife suffers and the natural beauty of our area suffers. We live here because we love the rural setting, but without some consideration to our water concern, there will be no Pleasant View left.

If you agree with our cause, or even if you would like to learn more, feel free to contact us at: pvnapostfalls@yahoo.com or mail to: PVNA, P.O. Box 3145, Post Falls, ID 83877-3145

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Kathy Darrar and her husband purchased their property in the Pleasant View area 26 years ago. They immediately became active in the Pleasant View Community helping with potlucks, benefits, restoring the historic Pleasant View School, and spending more time with their great neighbors. They enjoy the rural lifestyle south of the Spokane River, nestled in the foothills of the Signal Point Massif.