‘Aquifer Park’ May Spring Up

The uniqueness of springs bubbling out of the hillside near the Spokane River eludes 50,000 Bloomsday runners who labor up Doomsday Hill.

But a few activists are trying to raise the profile of the springs and the natural area surrounding them as the region’s first “aquifer park.”

“There are few places in the country where water from an important aquifer bubbles from the ground in an urban area,” said Dan Petek. “This is an outstanding opportunity to cultivate a natural area and raise awareness of the aquifer and its importance to the region.”

Petek - known to many as the energy behind Junior Bloomsday - also has been a consultant to Washington and Idaho agencies seeking protection for the Spokane and Rathdrum Prairie aquifers.

“The important thing is to get the public to tune in to the aquifer and the importance of protecting it,” said Jeff Lawler of the Idaho Panhandle Health District. “Agencies can’t do it all.”

But perhaps the biggest motivation comes from childhood memories.

Jim Blake, a Spokane County water quality management specialist, said he and Petek grew up near the springs. “This was our favorite hangout,” Blake said.

It’s also a favorite spot for nesting songbirds and the hangout for a moose that took up residence in town last summer, as one can see by the nipped shrubbery and droppings.

The city of Spokane already owns the 40 acres southeast of the T.J. Meenach Bridge below Pettit Drive. The Spokane Park Board has endorsed the idea of a “Three Springs Aquifer Park ” as long as it doesn’t cost the city much money, Petek said.

The city has been a mixed blessing to the area. The public-funded parking area is a boon to Centennial Trail users, and a large gazebo is a nice start to what could be an educational facility in a stunning natural setting.

But city crews also have piled huge ugly stumps along the riverbanks, obliterating views of the largest spring. A few years ago, city trucks dumped asphalt and other street rubble down the hillside toward another spring.

“The type of work needed to make this a park can be done by schools, Scout groups and willing businesses,” Petek said.

The Spokesman-Review has donated about $5,000 for planting native vegetation. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department and Inland Northwest Wildlife Council have donated expertise and labor for planting trees and restoring natural habitat above and below Pettit Drive.

Under a five-year development plan, the Three Springs Aquifer Park would improve the existing quarter-mile trail, route spur trails to the springs and build a nature walk that would identify natural plants and shrubs in the area.

“The biggest job will be to beat out the knapweed that’s invaded the area,” Blake said.

Organizers already are encouraged by pledges of support from area businesses.

“I’ve been rattling a tin cup around town for so long, people know I’m going to ask for money when I come by,” Petek said. “Some construction companies have already indicated they’d help with some of the heavy work.”

Groups interested in helping with the project and raising funds should contact Petek at 328-7307.

-Rich Landers