City Buys Sewage Plant Site But Rathdrum Plan Sparks Fears About Aquifer
Rathdrum is buying 314 acres on the Rathdrum Prairie as a potential sewage treatment site, city officials said Tuesday.
The land, southwest of the city, cost the city $1 million. Officials say they may use the land for sewage lagoons and spraying crops with treated wastewater.
City officials said they still haven’t decided whether to build the treatment system but wanted to lock in the land before its price went up.
“We feel we can’t lose,” said City Attorney Rollie Watson.
Some prairie citizens were less than pleased at the thought of a sewage treatment plant over the Rathdrum aquifer, the main source of drinking water for most residents of Kootenai and Spokane counties.
“I think they’re crazy,” said Nyla Meyer, a member of the Prairie Protection Coalition. “We’re supposed to have this pristine aquifer. How long is it going to be pristine?”
Rathdrum Public Works Director Bob Lloyd said any work at the site would be designed to prevent contamination of the aquifer. Lagoons, for example, would be lined with plastic. Also, the system would spray only as much wastewater as the crops, such as alfalfa hay or poplar trees, could absorb.
In 1994, the city paid $5,000 for a one-year purchase option from the Brickert Land Co., which owns the 314 acres. The option expires in two days.
Mayor Tawnda Bromley said the city still is trying to decide on its next step.
Rathdrum now sends its sewage, via pipeline, to Post Falls’ treatment plant. The treated wastewater goes into the Spokane River.
With both cities growing rapidly, Post Falls’ plant is close to capacity. Post Falls is planning to expand it.
“It gives everyone a little bit of breathing room, but we know the pinch is coming,” said Watson.
The city may stay with Post Falls, helping fund the plant expansion. Or Rathdrum could split off and run its own sewage treatment on the newly purchased land.
A third option would use both methods. Sewage would be pumped to Rathdrum during the summer, when it can be sprayed on crops. When the ground freezes, the waste could be pumped to Post Falls for river disposal.
“We needed to have land available for future use for whichever option we choose to go with,” said Bromley.
Post Falls Public Works Director Paul Diener couldn’t be reached for comment.
“Nothing’s going to happen immediately,” said Lloyd, because the city doesn’t have money to set up a sewage treatment system on the new land. Watson estimated the cost at $8 million to $9 million.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of proposed 314-acre sewage treatment facility