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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Inslee asked to increase Spokane River flows for fisheries, recreation

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SPOKANE — Environmental groups on Tuesday asked Gov. Jay Inslee to push for an increase in summertime flows of the Spokane River to improve recreation and to maintain the scenic falls in the middle of the state’s second-largest city.

The groups want Inslee to reopen an April decision by the state Department of Ecology that rejected a petition seeking more water in the river. In their letter to the governor, they wrote that they wanted to reach an agreement with the department to increase the river flow and to avoid litigation.

Inslee is aware of the issues and will review the letter, spokeswoman Tara Lee said.

The Spokane River originates at Lake Coeur d’Alene in Northern Idaho and flows to the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. A series of dams can regulate the amount of water in the river.

The groups seek a minimum summer flow of 1,800 to 2,800 cubic feet per second in the river to support fisheries and recreation. But the Department of Ecology set river flows at just 850 cubic feet per second.

“This rule could effectively make every year a drought year for the Spokane River,” the groups said.

The case has statewide significance, because the Department of Ecology excluded recreation and outdoor recreation-based jobs from its economic analysis when deciding river flows, the environmental groups contend.

In their April decision, Ecology officials said they were confident that flows of 850 cubic feet per second were adequate. The agency said the Spokane River is “influenced by a variety of factors, including seasonal weather, groundwater use from existing water rights and operation of hydropower facilities.”

The governor has 45 days to respond to the letter. Petitioners are the Sierra Club, the Center for Environmental Law & Policy and American Whitewater.

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