On Riverfront Park’s suspension bridge, the river’s spray jumps skyward, soaking children, young lovers, bicyclists and senior citizens. No one seems to mind. The river is rocking and rolling its way through downtown Spokane in a superstar performance.

In several places along the river’s city route, residents and tourists are admiring and taking photos of the river’s runoff concert. Now, imagine if parking lots, dilapidated shacks, high-rise condos and businesses lined the entire shoreline. Imagine if people had to ask permission to stand on lawns and parking lots to gape at the river.

Washington’s 1972 Shoreline Management Act helped make sure that never became reality. The act recognized that access to waterways must be preserved for all citizens of the state. But the act also recognized that city and county residents best understand the unique uses of their waterways. So each city and county adopts a shoreline master program, based on state guidelines.

The city of Spokane is updating the master program that deals with the shorelines of the Spokane River and Latah Creek within city limits. The final document will become part of the city’s comprehensive plan that will guide shoreline activities in the future.

When the shoreline master program update is unveiled this fall, don’t expect huge surprises. You’ll see neither allowances for high-rise condos everywhere along the river nor requirements that only green space be allowed. The plan’s goal is to reflect the best practices that protect the river’s shoreline in its different uses, from parks to businesses to housing.

“There are not many cities that have a river running through it,” said JoAnne Wright, the city’s lead planner on the shoreline update. “We are unique. In order to attract tourists and better our quality of life, we need to make sure it stays in good shape. It’s a fine balancing act between preservation and allowing development to go on.”

City planners have held several public meetings and open houses on the master program update. Citizen participation was not overwhelming. Shoreline management isn’t as easy to comprehend as a bike plan, for instance. But citizen input is critical.

You can research the shoreline master program update at the city’s Web site. You can e-mail comments or call them in. And before the river’s spring rock ‘n’ roll concert ends, take time to watch the falls in downtown Spokane or admire the river’s wild flows from other public access points, such as along the Centennial Trail. The hard work on the shoreline master program guarantees that these stunning views remain accessible to all, now and in the future.