River retrospective

A year ago, Bruce Howard, Spokane River license manager for Avista Utilities, attended a meeting with The Spokesman-Review editorial board. The meeting was supposed to last an hour, but Howard’s knowledge about river issues kept everyone enthralled for more than two hours.

The idea for the yearlong River Dialogues series was born that afternoon. Never in the history of the Spokane River have there been so many river experts, nor so much material about the river, available on Web sites. For instance, as part of the relicensing process, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe wrote a comprehensive history of every type of fish known to have inhabited their tribal waters.

The goal of the series was to tap into that collective river wisdom. We talked with environmentalists, dischargers, government and tribal officials and those who use the river for recreation. Today, we end the series with Mary Kunkel, a Spokane woman who has started a women’s river group.

Big things happened with the Spokane River this year, including:

“The Spokane River TMDL Collaboration. The Department of Ecology is formulating a final cleanup plan for the river, specifically ways to decrease phosphorous discharges that zap the river of its dissolved oxygen. Environmentalists, dischargers and all other stakeholders are expected to reach an accord soon on the best way to implement the plan. The unique collaboration should help avoid river cleanup delays.

“The condo craze. Building fever along the river has generated controversy, as tall towers block neighborhood shade and views and change the socioeconomic dynamic in areas such as Peaceful Valley.

“Whitewater and wastewater. Friends of the Falls hope construction will begin soon on a proposed whitewater park near downtown Spokane. And as the Inland Northwest grows, concerns about increased wastewater discharge into the river grow along with it.

We wish to thank the 15 “river dialoguers” who shared their knowledge and passion with readers. Their hard work will preserve the Spokane River for the next generation – and beyond.