The Spokane County Commission decided in a split vote Tuesday to sign one of its biggest-ever contracts, hiring CH2M Hill Constructors Inc. to design, build and operate a new sewage treatment facility. Whether the county will receive a permit to discharge effluent into the river is still uncertain. The Spokesman Review reports.
This briefing is for stakeholders directly engaged in development of the Spokane River DO TMDL for Washington State. Contact the Forum at info@spokaneriver.net for more information.
Idaho is beginning the process of adjudicating water rights in the Coeur d’Alene-Spokane River basin. The Spokesman Review reports.
Waste water reuse: Water Resource Planning and Management Impacts and Responses
The Cities of Hayden, Post Falls and Rathdrum along with Kootenai County developed a long-term master plan to guide wastewater service for the Rathdrum Prairie. The plan was released in November and public comment completed in December.
Spokane County needs to raise about $145 million if, as expected, they proceed with building a proposed waste water treatment plant. How to pay for it is now a question. The Spokesman Review reports.
According to Veolia Water North America, their bid to build a new Spokane County wastewater treatment plant would result in fifty percent less phosphorus in treated water and possibly cost less to build. The Spokesman Review reports.
A memorandum of understanding allows Washinton, Idaho and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to participate in a monitoring study of Post Falls Dam. The study will be used to determine final conditions that Idaho Department of Environmental Quality will place on summer discharges of water at Post Falls Dam. These conditions are part of Avista’s proposed 50 year license to continue operating Post Falls Dam. The Spokane River Forum reports.
The City of Spokane has won Washington Department of Ecology praise for draft shoreline regulations being proposed within the city limits. Draft plans being developed by Spokane County, however, remain the subject of controversy. The Spokesman Review reports.
The attached Ecology memo describes issues of consideration for pursuing a Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) and Site Specific Criteria changes in Lake Spokane.