Spokane city voters will be asked to pay $15 a year to improve aquifer water quality

For the first time in more than 20 years, the city of Spokane may join the aquifer protection area, a decision that would raise a tax but also help protect drinking water, according to city officials.

The Spokane County Aquifer Protection Area was formed in 1985 as a way to raise funds to protect the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer from pollution. The funds helped to replace septic tanks in Spokane County with a sewage system. By 2004, most septic tanks within Spokane city limits had been replaced, and Spokane withdrew from the protection area.

However, with growing concern of dangerous chemicals, including a group of chemicals known as PFAS, being found in the aquifer, Spokane City Council members unanimously agreed to be included in the re-evaluation of the Aquifer Protection Area this year.

If the ballot measure passes in August, each residence in the city of Spokane can expect to see an added $1.25 each month for each house or apartment unit for water and another $1.25 for on-site sewage disposal.

A single -family home will spend another $15 a year in property taxes in urban areas or another $30 in rural areas.

Nonresidential properties are charged based on water use.

Other cities in Spokane County, including Spokane Valley and Millwood, already have been paying for the protection area for the past 20 years and are just voting to see if they will continue to pay.

Pat Bell, spokesman for Spokane County, said the city of Spokane is estimated to double the funding for the protection area if the measure is approved, bringing annual proceeds from around $1.3 million in previous years to $2.8 million.

Ben Brattebo, environmental services administrator for Spokane County, said the money would be spent on the monitoring of 51 sites at the aquifer. The monitoring will check for possible pollutants and available water levels.

“It allows us to study it and monitor it and adapt the monitoring that might need to happen over time,” Brattebo said. “It’s our only reasonable supply for drinking water.”

The Environmental Protection Agency designated the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer as a sole-source aquifer, meaning there’s no reasonable alternatives for drinking water in the area. The aquifer provides drinking water to around 500,000 people.

Alongside the monitoring, the county also pays for education efforts to teach both kids and adults about the aquifer and potential impacts humans and pollutants have on the water.

Amy Sumner, a Spokane County water resource manager, said the county partners with public schools and uses the funding for field trips to the waste treatment center and the Doris Morrison Learning Center, which teaches kids about the partnership between wetlands and water health.

“It really helps kids, as they’re growing up, to get that awareness of how human activities can positively or negatively affect the aquifer,” Bell said.

After the monitoring and education have been funded, Spokane County redistributes the money to each city proportionally to how much they raised. Once the city of Spokane gets its share, it can make decisions about what to do with it outlined in state law.

The ballot voters will be sent says that cities may use the funds to make a comprehensive plan for water, build facilities to better remove water pollutants, collect sewage, deal with stormwater drainage and other preventive measures.

Marlene Feist, the city’s public works director, said that if the ballot measure is passed, collection will begin in 2026, and Spokane will receive the money in 2027. Feist said the biggest goal is to set up more preventive measures, including monitoring for all of Spokane’s drinking water so if pollutants like PFAS build up, further decisions can be made.

Although the city is meeting all federal and state requirements for the quality of its drinking water, Spokane detected low levels of PFAs at three well locations in 2024. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are human-made chemicals that have been shown to decrease fertility and increase risk of certain cancers. The city of Airway Heights discontinued its water service after its water was found to have high levels of PFAS.

“What’s important to know is that we are very blessed in our region to have such an incredible resource as our aquifer,” Feist said. “We have to protect it.”

Feist also mentioned that with climate change, studies are showing that wells might need to be lowered as groundwater sinks farther down. Funds would be available for deeper wells.

Spokane City Council President Betsy Wilkerson said she’s heard no argument against the ballot measure and hasn’t received a single email from an upset citizen, which is often rare for tax issues.

“The dark cloud that made us unanimous is all the stuff that was going on with PFAS out in the West Plains, and what else might be coming our way,” Wilkerson said. “We need to be working together, and this $15 residential fee will help provide the financial resources to do that.”

Spokane Riverkeeper, a nonprofit working to protect and restore the Spokane River, showed support for the Aquifer Protection Area as water from the river often mixes in with the aquifer.

“We know that the river has discharges in it that are polluted, and it’s really important that we monitor our aquifer and the exchange of that water to ensure that those pollutants don’t end up in our aquifer,” Katelyn Scott, water protector for Spokane Riverkeeper, said.

Bell said that if the ballot measure doesn’t pass, Spokane County may have to consider at other methods of funding, including federal grants, as monitoring technology prices rise and the aquifer protection area fee does not.

“As voters are looking at this and considering their vote, if it’s not renewed, we do anticipate it could lead to reduced services,” Bell said.

Spokane County voters will receive their ballots this week and have until Aug. 5 to cast their votes. If the measure passes, the city of Spokane will be included in the Aquifer Protection Area for at least 20 years until the next re-evaluation.

“I think if you asked a typical resident, what they think about water quality, or is this something that we should be investing in, they understand that the building block of any community is water,” Bell said.