Washington State Releases Plan to Repair Spokane River, Lake

SPOKANE, Washington, February 1, 2006 (ENS) - After nearly a year of collaborative talks, the Washington Department of Ecology has unveiled what the agency says is a "good melding of ideas and plans" to reduce pollution in the Spokane River and Lake Spokane.

The Water Quality Managed Implementation Plan includes the modernization of treatment facilities at industries and cities along the Spokane River, strategies for reducing polluted runoff, and a heavy emphasis on conservation and the re-use highly treated wastewater where appropriate.

The plan was described January 25 at a meeting of the group that is working collaboratively to come up with solutions to the river's and lake's problems. The group consists of companies and cities that discharge waste water into the river; tribal, federal, state and local governments; and environmental organizations.

In 2004, the Spokane River in central Washington state was declared one of the nation's 10 Most Endangered Rivers by the environmental group American Rivers. The Spokane River flows from Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho 90 miles northwest through the city of Spokane, Washington, before emptying into the Columbia River above Grand Coulee Dam.

Spokane River as it flows through central Washington state carries mining waste from Idaho. (Photo courtesy American Rivers)

Without adequate oxygen, fish struggle to survive. In addition, too many nutrients can cause unsightly algae blooms that can become toxic and cause nuisance smells or skin irritations. Algae blooms can make the lake unswimmable, and compromise the ecological balance of the lake.

Environmentalists have warned that cities, farmers and industry along the river have been permitted to use too much water without regard for the ecological impacts on the river, and now per capita water use in the region is among the highest in the nation.

Five sewage treatment plants discharge into the shrinking river. Low flows concentrate the wastewater discharges, making it difficult for utilities to avoid violating water quality standards. In the past, these utilities have sought exemptions from regulations, but through the collaborative process, they have agreed to upgrade their facilities.

Ecology has reviewed two proposed implementation plans designed to protect the amount of oxygen in the Spokane River and Lake Spokane. One plan was submitted by the Sierra Club and one by the industries and municipalities that discharge to the river.

"We appreciate the hard work and good faith that all of the participants in the collaborative process have put into this effort," said Dave Peeler who manages the state's water quality program.

"It's clear to us that there is a community-wide passion for the health of the river, and that we all agree a healthy environment and healthy economy go hand in hand," Peeler said.

The Implementation Plan proposed by Ecology blends ideas from the two plans and recommendations from four working groups that met during 2005. It begins with the selection of improved wastewater treatment plant discharge treatment technology. By far, selecting, installing and aggressively operating improved treatment technologies are the largest contributors to a better river, Ecology says.

Ecology will issue revised five year permits to existing Washington dischargers - the City of Spokane, Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District, Inland Empire Paper, and Kaiser beginning in the first year of the Implementation Plan.

Every five years these NPDES permits will be reissued and will include a compliance schedule updated to reflect any adjustments necessary to comply with the Managed Implementation Plan.

One of five sewage treatment plants along the Spokane River that handles waste from growing communities along the river. (Photo courtesy American Rivers)

To accomplish compliance with the final limits, Ecology says “tools” in the “toolbox” include improved wastewater treatment technology, non-point source reduction, water reuse, water conservation, combined sewer overflow elimination/reduction, inflow and infiltration reduction, pretreatment, and nutrient source reduction and control.

The proposed new Spokane County wastewater treatment facility, as a “new source” is not eligible for receiving a compliance schedule.

For the existing permitted wastewater treatment facilities of the City of Spokane, Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District, Inland Empire Paper, and Kaiser, Ecology and each utility will devise a 10-year compliance schedule to achieve the goals of the plan that will include dates and time frames for planning,

Non-point source pollution contributes to the low oxygen condition of the river and the lake. Co-chaired by Neil Kersten with the City of Spokane Public Works and Dave Knight with the Department of Ecology, the Non-Point Source Workgroup recommends completion of the Spokane River - Lake Spokane Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) standard, followed by completing TMDLs for Hangman Creek by December 2006, and the Little Spokane River by December 2007. These TMDLs will include implementation schedules which generally entail five to 20 years of aggressive actions to reduce non-point source pollution.

The City of Spokane manages a stormwater drainage system that includes 300 miles of separate storm sewers that discharge directly in the Spokane River at 80 locations, 40 of which are from bridges.

In addition, the city manages more than 400 miles of combined storm/sewer systems that can discharge stormwater mixed with sewage to the river during moderate to heavy rainfall and snowmelt events.

And the city has thousands of grassy swales and dry well structures that infiltrate stormwater into the ground following water quality treatment to trap sediments, oil and grease, and remove some pollutants.

The group recommends a ban on dishwashing detergent in the region because it is a significant source of phosphorus loading to the river and lake. Automatic dishwasher detergents may contain up to eight percent phosphorus by weight. A general ban on the use of dishwashing detergents containing phosphorus, or requiring the use of low phosphate detergents would be expected to eliminate or reduce a significant source of phosphorus to ground water.

Lake Spokane is a 25 mile long reservoir, running between Nine Mile Falls Dam and Long Lake Dam to the west. (Photo courtesy State of Washington)

The most effective way to address the non-point contributions from fertilizer is banning or limiting its use within the watershed boundaries, the plan says. Encouraging or requiring the use of non-phosphorus fertilizer may be an effective, low-cost practice for reducing phosphorus in runoff.

Additionally, local ordinances could be developed, which would require residential car washes to be conducted on lawns instead of impervious surfaces such as driveways or streets. This would allow for treatment and removal of phosphorus via uptake by vegetation rather then discharge to a drywell or other storm water collection system.

In addition to best management practices, ordinances and bans, education is a valuable tool for reducing, and in some cases eliminating, non-point source pollution, the plan states.

For education campaigns to be effective they must result in people changing their behaviors. The plan would have professional educators designing and carrying out an education plan by identifing the target audience, identifing the barriers and benefits to doing the desired behavior, and removing these barriers so people are more likely to adopt the new river-friendly behavior.

The implementation of site-specific best management practices to control non-point sources and to meet the load allocations of the TMDL are the responsibility of individual landowners and local jurisdictions. If a particular site or land use is causing or contributing to a significant water pollution problem or a violation of the water quality standards, the Department of Ecology can conduct a formal compliance investigation.

Peeler calls Ecology's plan a managed implementation plan because it will be put into effect over time, with regular review and analysis.

The plan will give the community milestones to attain in five years and in 10 years. At these points, a team of experts from the public and private sector will review progress and determine whether or not improvements are being made fast enough, or if changes in the water quality targets should be modified based on a better scientific understanding of the river ecosystem.

Pollution must be reduced as soon as possible and water quality standards must be met within 20 years, Ecology says.

"We don't know for sure how much of the problem will be fixed by technology at the end of a pipe, by strategies to reduce polluted runoff, or by re-using or conserving water," said Peeler.

Ecology will put together a more detailed implementation plan and send it out for public review before sending it to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval later this year.

"We expect further talks to take place as we iron out any remaining differences," Peeler said. "We also expect to come up with a formal agreement about how we implement these changes over time. We see this as an on-going, open collaboration."

To see a copy of the plan, please visit the Spokane River TMDL Collaboration web site at: http://client-ross.com/spokane%2Driver/