Spokane River Advocates Petition State to Increase Summertime Water Flow (WA)
Posted: 03/01/2016
By: Thomas O'Keefe
Spokane – On Monday, advocates for the Spokane River petitioned the Washington Department
of Ecology (“Ecology”) to increase its flow rule for the popular and heavily-used
Spokane River.
The Spokane River is a much beloved urban river that flows through the second largest city in
Washington State, including spectacular waterfalls and a deep gorge. Conservationists are seeking
a minimum summertime flow of 1,800 – 2800 cubic feet per second (CFS) to support fisheries
and recreation, and protect higher flows for recreation when available.
“We are asking Washington state to ‘go with the flow,’ amend its inadequate
flow rule, and protect the people’s river,” said John Roskelley, kayaker, author, and
vice president of the Center for Environmental Law & Policy. “Last summer the whole
community lived through drought and witnessed the Spokane River reduced to a trickle amid boulder
fields. The state has a trust responsibility for our river, and must do its job.”
Nearly 2,000 comments, including boater surveys and aesthetic inventories, were submitted to the
Department of Ecology during the public-comment period on the draft rule. The state agency
ignored all public comments in support of protecting the Spokane River, and adopted unchanged its
flow rule of 850 CFS – river flows that are low and jeopardize the Spokane River and public
uses.
Petitioners have retained Dr. Doug Whittaker and Dr. Bo Shelby, who are experts in recreation and
aesthetic flows from Confluence Research and Consulting, to evaluate appropriate flows. Drs.
Shelby and Whittaker participated in establishing aesthetic flows for Spokane Falls, and are the
foremost national experts on flows. They conclude that the Department of Ecology’s adopted
flows are inadequate to support most types of recreational boating on the river. Higher flows in
the Spokane River, when available, should be protected.
“Spokane River fisheries need cold, abundant water,” said Roskelley. “The
Department of Ecology erred in concluding that more water is bad for fish, thereby justifying its
decision not to protect Spokane River flows.” In response, petitioners submitted a report
prepared by Prof. Allan Scholz, retired Eastern Washington University fisheries biologist and
professor. Prof. Scholz is author of a multivolume treatise on Eastern Washington fisheries, and
is one of the foremost experts on Spokane River redband trout.
Prof. Scholz determined that the state’s flow rule — setting the Spokane River flow
rate at 850 CFS below the Monroe Street Dam in the summer — is inadequate to protect and
restore a healthy redband trout population, and that the scientific study prepared in support of
the rate was flawed. Conservationists point out that the Department of Ecology could have
accommodated the needs of both river recreationists and fish without sacrificing fish.
“Our city owes its origins, its beauty, and a great deal of its past and present life to
the Spokane River,” said Tom Soeldner, co-chair of Sierra Club’s Upper Columbia River
Group based in Spokane. “It would be a betrayal of the river and our identity if we
did not maintain healthy and aesthetic river flows.”
Petitioners point out that Ecology has a duty under state law and the public trust doctrine to
amend the rule to adopt flows that are fully protective of all public instream values, including
fish and wildlife, recreation, navigation, water quality, and scenic beauty. Flows that are not
protected are at risk to be diverted from the Spokane River for out-of-stream water uses,
including Idaho pumpers, the City of Spokane, and the Office of the Columbia River’s
Spokane-Rathdrum ASR project.
“Excluding rafters, kayakers, and canoeists in setting flows sets a dangerous precedent for
Washington State’s rivers,” said Thomas O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest stewardship
director for American Whitewater “Our state’s river face many demands but ultimately
we have a collective responsibility for the stewardship and protection of our state’s
rivers, and Department of Ecology must protect the diversity of beneficial uses our rivers
provide including recreation.”
In setting instream flows, the Department of Ecology failed to listen to boaters who use the
Spokane River and businesses that depend on Spokane River recreation. Ecology also failed to
conduct a basic assessment of the scenic values of the Spokane River as it flows through the
gorge and Riverside State Park – important to users of the Centennial Trail and others.
“The state needs to fulfill its trust and stewardship responsibilities to protect the
Spokane River for present and future generations,” said Andrea Rodgers, attorney with
Western Environmental Law Center. “Setting flow rates for the river that do not protect
fish, sacrifice recreational boaters’ uses of the river, and cost Spokane businesses needed
income is an abdication of the state’s legal duty.”
The Department of Ecology has 60 days to respond to the citizens’ petition. Petitioners are
Sierra Club, CELP, and American Whitewater, and are represented by attorneys Andrea Rodgers
(WELC) and Dan Von Seggern (CELP).
Thomas O'Keefe
3537 NE 87th St.
Seattle, WA 98115
E-mail: okeefe@americanwhitewater.org
Phone: 425-417-9012
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