Spokesman article: Instream flow rule proposed for Spokane River’s main stem

Keeping enough water in the Spokane River at critical times for fish and recreation is the focus of the state’s new effort to adopt instream flows for the river.

Instream flows are similar to a water right, said Brook Beeler, a Washington Department of Ecology spokeswoman. They allow the state to curtail new water withdrawals when river flows hit a certain threshold.

While many Washington rivers already have instream flow protections, they’ve never been established for the main stem of the Spokane River in Spokane County and part of Stevens County.  Read More