West Central stormwater project wins EPA award

The Environmental Protection Agency honored Spokane for a new stormwater system in the West Central neighborhood.

The city received federal stimulus money in 2009 for the “Spokane Urban Runoff Greenway Experiment” on West Broadway Avenue.

Spokane’s wastewater department installed 28 stormwater gardens as well as sidewalks with pervious surfaces along the street so that stormwater drains into the soil rather than being dumped untreated into the Spokane River. The city will have to repay about half of the $600,000 project through a low-interest loan through the state Department of Ecology.

The EPA awarded the project its “Performance and Innovation in the State Revolving Fund Creating Environmental Success Award.”