It is becoming clear that with climate change, over-consumption and pressure from groundwater pumping, that water shortages during the summer are a profound new threat to the health of the Spokane River. Clean water becomes more vulnerable every day and our river is at risk.
Recently, the City of Airway Heights applied for a new water right in the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie (SVRP) Aquifer. As lead agency in this proposal, the City of Airway Heights has determined there would be no significant impacts to the environment, public land (specifically Riverside State Park), and your Spokane River.
Historically, drinking water for Airway Heights’ water supply was drawn from wells in the basalt rock and paleochannel (sand and gravel) aquifers that exist in the West Plains area (GeoEngineers, 2021). However, in May 2017 Airway Heights drinking water supply was found to be contaminated by Perfluorooctanesulfonic (PFOS) and Perfluorootanoic acids (PFOA), which are chemicals contained in the fire fighting foam used in training and during two aircraft crashes near the Fairchild Air Force Base (2020, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry). To provide safe drinking water for residents, the City of Airway Heights has purchased water from the City of Spokane since 2017. This water is delivered under an intertie agreement.
PFOS and PFOA chemicals persist for long periods in the environment and can lead to human health problems, including developmental delays in children and increased risk of certain cancers (EPA, n.d.). Airway Heights is searching for a safe alternative water supply and in June 2021, applied for a new water right to access water directly from the SVRP Aquifer. Their study of water movement in the West Plains suggests that water in the basalt and paleochannel aquifers flows into the SVRP Aquifer. Airway Heights is proposing discontinued pumping in their wells will compensate for water withdrawn from the SVRP Aquifer (City of Airway Heights, 2021).
The Spokane River is connected to the SVRP Aquifer and pumping from the aquifer does impact river flows especially during the critical, low-flow season when our river needs cold clean aquifer water. New areas of pumping could have unforeseen effects on river flows, fish, and wildlife dependent on this area of the river. This is especially concerning for efforts of the Upper Columbia United Tribes to recover salmon in the Upper Columbia River Basin.
Under Washington State law, the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requires local governments to identify environmental impacts of new public infrastructure, like groundwater extraction (Washington State Department of Ecology, n.d.). We empathize with Airway Heights’ need to find a safe drinking water supply for their residents. However, the city’s administration is suggesting that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not necessary, because they will mitigate the extraction of water from the SVRP Aquifer by discontinuing use of their old wells (City of Airway Heights, 2021). But how can we know the possible environmental impacts when we don’t fully understand how the basalt and paleochannel groundwater recharges the SVRP Aquifer? Airway Heights’ hydrogeological study estimates it takes anywhere from 3.7 to 66 years for this groundwater to reach the aquifer (GeoEngineers, 2021). Such an indefinite time frame emphasizes the need for more information to ensure this recharge will fully mitigate additional pumping in the aquifer and subsequent loss of river flow. The proposed location of the new well(s) is near the crossing of Seven Mile Road over the Spokane River, close to Riverside State Park (GeoEngineers, 2021).
The Spokane River is already subject to reduced flows due to droughts associated with climate change, dams, and high summer pumping from the aquifer. Washington State legislation adopted an instream flow rule for the Spokane River in 2015 that protects the river from new water rights interrupting flow when rates fall below 850 cubic feet per second in the summer, unless those impacts are mitigated (Washington State Legislature, 2015). Based on Airway Heights hydrogeological study, it is not clear that the mitigation water that is being proposed on paper is sufficient to prevent diminished flow in the Spokane River, especially during the critical low flow season.
Spokane Riverkeeper is advocating that possible environmental impacts to the river and its ecosystems are fully evaluated before the Department of Ecology grants this new water right to the City of Airway Heights. We voiced our concerns in a comment letter to the City of Airway Heights last week. We ask that you keep an eye on this issue, as collective efforts may be necessary in the near future.
References
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (2020, December 7). Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and your health: Spokane County (WA) near Fairchild Air Force Base. United States Department of Health & Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/activities/assessments/sites/spokane-county-wa.html
City of Airway Heights. (2021). Technical Memorandum: City of Airway Heights – Water Rights Application Mitigation Plan. https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/separ/Main/SEPA/Document/DocumentOpenHandler.ashx?DocumentId=124104
GeoEngineers. (2021, March 1). Alternative groundwater supply assessment: City of Airway Heights Water System, Airway Heights, Washington. https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/separ/Main/SEPA/Document/DocumentOpenHandler.ashx?DocumentId=124107
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (n.d.). Our current understanding of the human health and environmental risks of PFAS. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas
Washington State Department of Ecology. (n.d.). Overview of Washington State Environmental Policy Act. https://ecology.wa.gov/Regulations-Permits/SEPA/Environmental-review/SEPA-guidance/Basic-overview
Washington State Legislature. (2015, January 27). Chapter 173-557 WAC, Water Resources Management Program for the Spokane River and Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie (SVRP) Aquifer. https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=173-557&full=true#173-557-050