The big stink is finally over. We hope.

The Spokane City Council and Sierra Club have reached an agreement on steps the city must take to better detect and prevent the kind of raw sewage dumps that polluted the river two years ago.

The unanimous decision by the council heads off what could have been time-consuming litigation over whether the city violated the federal Clean Water Act when a pipe discharged raw sewage into the Spokane River.

To recap: A fisherman discovered the leak in Riverside State Park. The city determined that a plugged pipe had caused sewage to back up, which led to the discharge. But nobody was certain how long the pipe had been leaking.

The city estimated the spill to be 53,000 gallons. Later, the state’s estimate was 36,000 gallons, and it fined the city $8,000.

It’s unusual for the state to sue a municipality, especially when a spill is accidental. Once notified, the city quickly resolved the problem. All that fine did was take money from one taxpayer fund and deposit it into another.

The city has spent millions in recent years to head off wet-weather and dry-weather overflows into the river and Latah Creek. The agreement with the Sierra Club adds more to the to-do list, but the items are reasonable.

For instance, the city must:

•Modify 11 overflow weirs that are prone to blockage.

•Improve inspections and provide more training for crews.

•Devise better early-warning and reporting systems.

•Improve signage, so residents can more readily report problems.

The plume of pollution from two years ago was an embarrassment, but it shouldn’t sully the overall commitment the city has made to take better care of the river. There was a time when the river itself was used as a sewer. There was a time when the city might have duked it out in court, rather than negotiate reasonable solutions.

Residents can help by flushing only two things down their toilets: human waste and tissue paper. Anything else can – and often does – plug sewer pipes. That goes for dental floss, baby wipes and other items that may seem harmless.

The new attitude about the river is healthy. However, keeping it clean is expensive, as taxpayers will soon find out when confronted with a much-needed regional wastewater facility.

That’s why preventive measures will pay off in the long run.