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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane River reopens between bridges

A stretch of the Spokane River between Harvard and Barker bridges was reopened Monday to boaters and floaters by Spokane County commissioners. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich asked for the closure on June 2 because high water levels and debris piling up around the Barker Road Bridge construction sites were making that stretch of the river dangerous. In the last week, construction crews and sheriff’s deputies have cleared debris and restrung buoys that were washed out by the spring runoff, making that portion of the river safe enough to reopen, he said. Flows in the river seem to be about half what they were when commissioners closed the river, Knezovich said. However, the river flow was trending upward slightly on Monday as rain fell in the drainage and Avista Utilities announced it would be opening the spill gates at the Post Falls Dam to keep the level of Lake Coeur d’Alene from exceeding the summer maximum. The Boat ramp at Q’emiln Park on the Spokane River at Post Falls will be closed for about a week until the spill gates are closed, said Hugh Imhof, Avista spokesman.