Like those who live, work and play along the Spokane River, the Environmental Protection Agency shares your concerns about how pollution can affect the river’s health.

The Inland Northwest faces a serious challenge balancing growth and rapid development with protecting the Spokane River. In the community conversation about how to achieve that balance, we are concerned that a few outspoken opinions may not be portraying the big picture.

By any yardstick, the Spokane River is in trouble. Idaho sewage treatment plants are clearly part of the problem. Too much phosphorus is being discharged to the river from plants in both Washington and Idaho.

The time is right to offer some background about the EPA’s role in making the Spokane River healthier. An important part of that work involves our best professional judgment in one aspect of that effort: issuing permits to cities and towns in Idaho that discharge treated wastewater to the Spokane River.

The EPA issues permits that limit the amount of phosphorus and other contaminants released into Idaho’s portion of the Spokane River in coordination with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Similarly, the state of Washington issues discharge permits to the city of Spokane and other facilities discharging into the river on the Washington side.

Phosphorous stimulates excess algae growth in Lake Spokane, creating an unsightly nuisance for boaters and swimmers. When those algae die, they use up oxygen in the water as they decay, creating an unhealthy environment for all creatures that depend on cool, clean water.

The hard reality is that any phosphorous discharger (in Idaho or Washington) will need to drastically reduce its share if we are to improve water quality.

The new permits will allow Idaho communities to continue discharging treated wastewater to the Spokane River, but with much lower limits on how much phosphorus can be released.

How much are we talking about?

Combined discharges from the three Idaho facilities amount to roughly 5 percent of the phosphorous released to the river. The remaining 95 percent comes from sources in Washington coupled with “non-point” sources, such as runoff from residential and agricultural lands.

As proposed, the draft Idaho permits set some of the tightest, most restrictive phosphorous limits ever established in Idaho, Washington, Oregon or Alaska. They require phosphorus reductions in wastewater of at least 75 percent in April and May and 95 percent in the hottest summer months.