Aluminum Sulfate Plan Approved For Newman Lake

Spokane County commissioners have approved a plan to pump aluminum sulfate into Newman Lake in a continuing effort to clean up the Valley lake.

The chemical is known to attach itself to phosphorous molecules in water and make them sink to the bottom.

Suspended phosphorous is thought to contribute to algae blooms, which can kill both plants and animals and dramatically quicken the natural decline of lakes.

The plan, which will cost $102,000 up front and $29,000 annually thereafter, was endorsed by most of the homeowners at the lake, County Engineer Bill Johns said.

Residents living inside the Newman Lake Flood Control Zone District will see their taxes go up to pay for the project.

“We believe people out there want it and are willing to pay for it,” said Johns, adding that a meeting on the plan this summer drew more than 100 people, most in favor.

But the only two lake residents who attended a Tuesday hearing on the matter were against it.

Both John Osborne and Stuart Munroe said the plan costs too much and probably wouldn’t work.

Osborne, who owns a fishing resort on the lake, said the fishery went south while the aquatic weeds burgeoned when the lake was treated with the chemical three years ago.

Munroe called the plan useless.

“It’s like putting a Band-Aid on something that needs stitches,” he said.

Munroe suggested creating a sewer district to serve the homes around the lake and hiring a company to do selective dredging.

“Let’s fix it and fix it right,” he said. “This is not right.”

County commissioners thought otherwise and voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the proposal.

The treatments are scheduled to begin next year.

, DataTimes