Wednesday
March 7, 2007
Ground-breaking Spokane River
Clean-up Agreement Signed
Source: Washington Department of Ecology
The result of two years of hard work by state and local officials, tribes, citizens groups and business leaders, the agreement opens the way to building a new wastewater treatment and water reclamation plant for Spokane County and installing advanced filtration at Spokane's Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility.
The agreement also includes plans for upgrading equipment at Liberty Lake and at industrial sites, as well as requiring water conservation, the re-use of treated water for lawns and parks, and the elimination of septic tanks.
Ecology, Spokane County, the city of Spokane, Liberty Lake Water and Sewer District, Kaiser Aluminum and Inland Empire Paper Company, all agreed to a schedule to reduce phosphorus from waste water to meet stringent state and federal water-quality standards within 20 years.
The Lands Council, the Sierra Club, Avista Corp., the city of Spokane Valley, and the Spokane Tribe also participated in the two years of talks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency participated as an observer.
"We've reached a collaborative solution to an extremely challenging water-quality problem," Ecology Water Quality Manager Dave Peeler said. "We are certainly not the only state facing these difficult problems, but by coming to this agreement, we are leading the nation in innovative solutions."
Peeler and Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke served as co-chairs of the negotiation effort which began when officials discovered that the river lacked sufficient dissolved oxygen to support a healthy fish population. Low dissolved oxygen levels are caused by too much phosphorus and other nutrients in the water.
These nutrients act like fertilizers and cause excess algae to grow and bloom. When the algae die, they use up the oxygen in the water during the decomposition process.
"With this agreement, we're moving from planning to doing. It's like the players and the referees all came together to agree about how we're going to play ball," said Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke. "Spokane County is committed to seeing this through."
The county will construct a state-of-the-art plant that will serve county residents and residents of the city of Spokane Valley.
The city of Spokane will spend $130 million to install advanced filtration at its water reclamation plant, proceed with a pilot project to re-use treated waste water for irrigation at Downriver Golf Course, help to control polluted runoff, and continue its campaign to promote good water stewardship.
"Spokane is the primary processor of waste water in Spokane County. We got into this business to protect public health and water quality in the aquifer and Spokane River," said Mayor Dennis Hession. "We remain committed to this long-term goal."
Inland Empire Paper Company already has had its plant analyzed for the kind of technology that will significantly reduce discharges of phosphorus. The company is moving ahead to upgrade its wastewater treatment process.
To oversee progress toward the 20-year goal, a new "oversight and monitoring group" with representatives from local governments and Ecology is being formed to monitor and help manage cleanup efforts. Each year, local dischargers will report their progress to Ecology. After 10 years, a major review of the plan will assess how well the participants are doing toward the goals of the plan and whether plan revisions are needed.
Phosphorus does not just come from the end of a pipe. It also is flushed into the river via storm water and comes from fertilizers, pet and livestock waste, detergents and other sources. Those sources also are addressed in the agreement with a jointly funded, multi-faceted program that includes education to show individuals how they can each help reduce phosphorus at their own homes.
The Spokane collaboration led an effort to get a statewide ban on phosphorus in dishwasher detergent, which was adopted by the state Legislature last year.
Ecology's Peeler said, "The Spokane community is beginning to see the Spokane River and Lake Spokane as the huge economic and aesthetic assets that they are."
Alternative quotes:
"This signals a new era of thinking about how we treat and dispose of our waste water. It's no longer business as usual," said Lee Mellish, manager of the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District.
President and General Manager Wayne Andresen, of Inland Empire Paper Company, stated, "It is rewarding to finally see the culmination of all the hard work and efforts of a collaboration consisting of so many different entities. Inland Empire Paper Company is poised to move immediately towards the improvement of Spokane River water quality"
For more information:
Collaboration Web site: http://client-ross.com/spokane-river/nps.htm
Ecology's Spokane River page: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/geographic/spokane/spokane_river_basin.htm
Contact:Jani Gilbert, Department of
Ecology, 509-329-3495; cell, 509-990-9177
Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter, Spokane County, 509-477-7195
Marlene Feist, City of Spokane, 509-625-6740