The US state of Washington has included a water reclamation scheme for the city of Pullman in its 2009-11 budget, but has stipulated that none of the US$ 16 million funding can be used to extend the service to a golf course to be used by Washington State University (WSU), Governor Chris Gregoire announced in December 2008.
The Pullman-WSU Wastewater Reuse Project, proposed by the city and the university, aims to create a facility that would take a portion of Pullman’s treated wastewater and use it to help irrigate the Palouse Ridge Golf Club and green areas on the WSU campus. It is claimed that this would take pressure off the Grande Ronde aquifer which is the principal source of water for Pullman and WSU.
The State Department of Ecology awarded a grant of US$ 1.25-1.5 millon to assist with the project but various groups have taken court action claiming that the project will not benefit the aquifer as claimed.