Hangman Creek’s turbidity

In response to “Ecology Department grants $15,000 for creek cleanup at Hangman Valley Golf Course” (April 4):

As a natural resource manager working in the Hangman Creek Watershed over 20 years for the Spokane Conservation District (SCD), I am compelled to correct the statement made in the article regarding Hangman Creek’s murky nature being partially attributed to livestock manure.

The most significant culprits are actually geology, flashy hydrology and humans, not cows. Hangman Creek has been transporting significant quantities of fine sediments since long before settlement of the Spokane area, indicating that we have a natural geologically young system. Historical accounts, including early articles written by the Spokesman-Review, report that Hangman Creek had “murky” water even before the advent of large-scale agriculture and other land uses in the watershed.

Agricultural producers in the watershed have made tremendous advances with technology and tillage practices in the watershed. Every year numerous landowners and other entities, including the SCD, employ stewardship practices that protect water quality, prevent erosion, and even stabilize stream banks. That is the type of story that needs to be told. As for livestock in the Hangman Creek watershed, the numbers are relatively low. So, to falsely claim livestock manure as a potential cause of Hangman Creek’s torrid milk chocolate resemblance is “udder” nonsense.

Walt Edelen

Spokane