City agrees to sewer fixes

Two years after a fisherman discovered a city pipe discharging raw sewage into the Spokane River, the Spokane City Council on Monday agreed to a plan to prevent future spills.

Council members unanimously approved an agreement with the Sierra Club that will require increased inspection and more cleaning of sewer lines among other actions.

“The council will take a very important step on the path to a clean Spokane River,” said Rachael Paschal Osborn, Spokane River Project Coordinator for the Sierra Club at Monday’s council meeting.

The city estimated about 53,000 gallons of sewage flowed into the river in the spill that was found in July 2006 near Riverside State Park. The state fined the city $8,000 for the discharge and estimated that a lesser amount of sewage had spilled, about 36,000 gallons.

In response to the spill, the Sierra Club threatened a lawsuit, charging that the city was in violation of federal water law.

“I’m glad that the Sierra Club is satisfied,” Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said in an interview before the council vote. “The city’s goal also, of course, is better water quality.”

Osborn said if the city follows through, the agreement will ensure that there are no further spills during dry weather and will help reduce spills caused by heavy rain.

Part of the agreement requires the city to post more signs near pipes with a phone number that citizens can use to report sewage spills. It also requires the city to improve its alarm system that signals sewage spills.

It also agreed to pay the Sierra Club about $10,000 to reimburse it for fees the group paid to a consultant that worked on spillage issue.

Osborn said although the city will have to spend money to fix the problem, not improving the system could result in considerable fines and the river’s health would continue to be sacrificed.

Meanwhile, the city continues to update its sewer system to also prevent spills during rain.

Because many areas of the city don’t have separate storm sewer and sewage systems, some pipes become overburdened during storms. The excess storm water and sewage are intentionally dumped into the river, to keep the water plant and lines from flooding. Officials are installing holding tanks in several locations that will handle overflow during downpours.

That will allow all the sewage to eventually make its way to the city’s treatment plant.