Volunteers rally to remove dead carp from Lake Spokane
Volunteers rallied to remove thousands of pounds of dead carp from Lake Spokane. Forum staff reports with pictures and story.
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Dead Carp washing up on Long Lake
At Long Lake, hundreds of dead carp are washing up on beaches, collecting under docks and creating a stink for residents living along the 24-mile reservoir.
Post Falls, Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board sue feds over Spokane River dissolved oxygen cleanup plan (TMDL)
The Post Falls City Council approved a resolution to file a lawsuit against the federal government over the Spokane River DO TMDL. The Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board is expected to join the suit.
Idaho dischargers consider wastewater lawsuit over permit regulations
The Post Falls City Council on Tuesday, July 6th will consider a resolution that affirms filing a lawsuit over phosphorus discharge permit regulations. The lawsuit stems from EPA’s acceptance of a DO TMDL that regulates phosphorus discharge in Washington. EPA, using modeling developed with Washington looking at wastewater treatment discharge impacts from Post Falls to Long Lake dam, expects to issue permits to Idaho dischargers within months.
Conservation groups call to tighten proposed Ecology regulations for stormwater in Eastern Washington
Area conservation groups sent a letter to Ecology asking proposed that eastern Washington regulations for stormwater permits be tightened. These regulations can affect the Spokane River and other waterbodies throughout the region.
County sewage plant working toward permits to discharge effluent into the Spokane River
Spokane County’s 167 million dollar sewage treatment plant could become operational by early 2012. This assumes the Department of Ecology will issue a permit to discharge treated effluent into the Spokane River. The Spokesman Review reports.
EPA approves Ecology DO TMDL for Spokane River
12 years of study and numerous collaborative efforts has culminated in EPA approving Washington’s DO TMDL (also called a Water Quality Improvement Plan) for the Spokane River.
Ecology steps into Coyote Rock dock fight
As many as thirty docks in an especially scenic and ecologically important stretch of the Spokane River are proposed as part of the Coyote Rock development. The City of Spokane Valley and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are approving permits for these docks one at a time. Washington Department of Ecology has a different view. Siding with the Spokane Riverkeeper and Trout Unlimited, Ecology filed a petition contesting the exemption for failing “to contain appropriate conditions to address cumulative effects arising from the reasonably foreseeable construction of similar docks in the area.” The Center for Justice reports.
Ecology upholds Spokane River DO TMDL water quality improvement plan
Ted Sturdevant, director of the Washington Department of Ecology, said Wednesday that he stands behind his agency’s ambitious plan to reduce phosphorus flowing in the Spokane River. The Spokesman Review reports.
Spokane River Cleanup Saturday, April 24th
Enterprising recreation students from the University of Idaho will be leading a cleanup effort from Harvard Road (Put-in) to Mirabeau Park (Take-out). Saturday, April 24th, 10:00 am.