Katelyn Scott: River flows are falling fast and native fish are paying the price

By Katelyn Scott

The Spokane River ran low most of June. If you care about the river, this should alarm you.

At the beginning of the month, the river’s flow was well below its legally required minimum – by nearly a third. And the drop is only getting worse. And with no snowpack left to melt and a long, hot summer ahead, there’s no relief in sight. This means there is too little cold, clean water flowing through our river, and rising water temperatures that are creeping beyond the limits that healthy ecosystems can endure.

The Spokane River and the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer are one interconnected system. When we overuse groundwater, especially during the summer irrigation season, we’re stealing water from the river. And this summer that theft will be on full display.

The Spokane River’s flow is protected by law for a reason. Instream flow rules are based on science, public input and ecological needs. These rules set minimum limits to ensure that fish and wildlife have enough water to survive and that the river remains a public resource for all of us – not just a resource to be consumed. When those limits are ignored, our river suffers. Right now, it is suffering.

Water conservation efforts are essential tools to keep water in our aquifer and by extension in our river. Every lawn watered in the heat of the day, every broken sprinkler, every unnecessary irrigation cycle pulls groundwater that should be feeding the Spokane River. This is water that native redband trout desperately need.

Redband trout are uniquely adapted to our basin, but they thrive in cold, well-oxygenated water. As flows drop, water temperatures rise and oxygen levels drop. As oxygen levels drop, trout die, literally suffocating, unable to breathe in the harsh water conditions. It’s a slow-motion crisis that plays out every year, but this year it started earlier than most.

We need leadership now. The city of Spokane and surrounding water utilities must take bold steps to support conservation. That means stronger education campaigns, incentives to reduce outdoor watering, enforcement of watering rules and long-term investments in sustainable water use. It also means being honest about the limits of our aquifer and standing up for the river’s legal right to flow.

But this isn’t just about the river. This is about the aquifer we all depend on. It’s the visible edge of the aquifer we all share. When we protect one, we protect the other. This river is the beating heart of this region. Without enough water, it can’t keep beating.

Let’s protect what’s left before it’s too late. Together. For the river.

Katelyn Scott, of Wellpinit, Washington, is the water protector for Spokane Riverkeeper where she leads the Clean Water Defense and River Flow Protection programs.