As we stand by Hangman Creek in the still summer air, the heat is high and the water barely moving. The stream’s vertical banks offer an innocuous natural charm, adding…
Our unquenchable thirst for best available science is finding a friend in a national movement to use citizen science to crowdsource data. Said Alan Kolok, Director of Idaho Water Resources…
Real estate development and stormwater management are increasingly two sides of the same coin. Katharine Burgess with the University of Idaho’s Urban Land Institute will be giving highlights from their…
Just in time for the holiday weekend, a story of collaboration and what makes the Spokane area unique. The story begins with redband trout, a native species with home turf…
From Washington Department of Ecology Scientists from the Washington Department of Ecology are planning several studies to better understand potential sources of pollution to the Spokane River’s largest tributary, Hangman…
Ecology will hold an open house beginning at 6:00 pm on June 30 to share information and answer questions about draft discharge permits for Kaiser Aluminum, City of Spokane, and…
Since the middle of July blue green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms have been identified at various locations in the upper half of Lake Spokane. The blooms vary from day to day depending on wind and weather but are becoming denser. Galen Buterbaugh, Technical Advisor to the Lake Spokane Association, reports the blooms are worse in the morning when the wind is still. Samples collected on Monday, July 27th at Suncrest Park, indicated that the bloom did contain toxins. Warning signs have been posted at the Suncrest Park swimming beach.
With a bill of $300 million to keep PCBs out of the Spokane River coming due, the City of Spokane is looking for compensation from Monsanto, a multinational agrochemical provider. The city alleges Monsanto sold PCB laced products that it knew were a danger to human and environmental health.
State fishery managers have closed or restricted fishing on more than 30 rivers throughout Washington. Drought conditions resulting in reduced flows and increased water temperatures is the culprit. The Spokane River is no exception.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein ordered EPA to “work with Ecology to create a definite schedule with concrete goals, including: clear statements on how the [Spokane River Toxics] Task Force will assist in creating a PCB TMDL in the Spokane River by reducing scientific uncertainty; quantifiable metrics to measure progress toward this goal; regular checkpoints at which Ecology and the EPA will evaluate progress; a reasonable end date, at which time Ecology will finalize and submit the TMDL for the EPA’s approval or disapproval; and firm commitments to reducing PCB production from known sources in the interim.”