Over ten years into our cleanup plan for the Spokane River, we have a new assessment of progress on water quality in Long Lake, and I’ve been reflecting on what the river is telling us. As the Water Protector for Spokane Riverkeeper, I see this place not just as a body of water, but as a living relative. The recent 10-Year Effectiveness Study from Ecology shows we’ve made real progress—especially in cutting phosphorus from wastewater and industrial sources. But the work isn’t done.
The reservoir behind Long Lake Dam still struggles with low oxygen. Algae blooms come and go. And now, with climate change shifting the river’s flow patterns the path forward is more complicated than ever. This work is more than compliance or charts. It’s about accountability to the river itself. It’s about ensuring future generations inherit a Spokane River that’s swimmable, fishable, and alive.
A Long History of Struggle
Lake Spokane—the reservoir behind Long Lake Dam—has struggled with water quality issues for decades. Long before I came to this work, people were already seeing the signs: murky water, thick algae blooms, and fish struggling to breathe. What we were witnessing was eutrophication—a process where too many nutrients, especially phosphorus, fuel excessive algae growth. That algae eventually dies and decomposes, pulling oxygen from the water and leaving fish and other aquatic life gasping. These blooms don’t just harm wildlife. They make the river less inviting for people too—turning clear water into green soup and disrupting recreation, fishing, and the simple joy of being near the river in summer.
Photo from Washington Department of Ecology of algae bloom on Lake Spokane in the 1970s
In 2010, the Washington Department of Ecology created a formal cleanup plan: a Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Long Lake section of the river. That plan laid out how much pollution the river could handle and assigned waste load allocations to both point and nonpoint sources.
But the TMDL did something else too. It recognized that the Long Lake Dam itself contributes to the problem—by slowing the river, trapping nutrients, and disrupting oxygen levels. So, Avista Utilities, which operates the dam, was assigned a dissolved oxygen responsibility—a requirement to identify and pursue solutions that address the reservoir’s unique challenges caused by impoundment.
The Progress: Systems Are Changing
The 10 year assessment shows real victories worth celebrating—especially upstream. Point source dischargers like wastewater treatment plants and industrial dischargers have achieved a 91% reduction in phosphorus since the start of the TMDL effort, reaching the benchmark set in 2010. That’s not an abstract number—it’s cleaner water flowing into our river and through our communities.
Nonpoint sources—runoff from roads, farms, and storm drains—have improved too, though not as dramatically. Compared to the 1970s, reductions in phosphorus from diffuse sources range between 46% and 84%, depending on location. But we know we’re still losing ground in some places. In places like Hangman (Latah) Creek, sediment and nutrient-laden runoff still pour in during storms, clouding the water and choking aquatic life.
These numbers show what’s possible when we invest in the river. But they also reveal where our attention needs to go next.
What About the Dam?
As someone who’s walked this river and watched the reservoir stagnate each summer, I have to say: we’re still not seeing meaningful progress from Avista on improving dissolved oxygen levels in Lake Spokane. While the utility doesn’t discharge nutrients directly, the Long Lake Dam fundamentally alters the river’s flow, creating the slow, warm, stratified conditions that drive oxygen depletion.
Under the TMDL, Avista was assigned a specific responsibility to address these impacts. But instead of confronting the core problem—how the dam itself degrades water quality—their efforts over the past decade have focused mostly on external sources: removing invasive carp, planting shoreline vegetation, and restoring wetlands far upstream. These efforts may help the overall water quality in the river, but they don’t directly address the way dam operations limit the reservoir’s ability to breathe. Meanwhile, the deep waters of Lake Spokane remain oxygen-starved.
The River Is Responding—But Slowly
As Water Protector for Spokane Riverkeeper, I spend a lot of time listening to this river. And I’ll be honest: while I’m heartened by the progress we’ve made upstream, I’m also concerned. The reservoir behind Long Lake Dam isn’t bouncing back as quickly as we need for native fish recovery. Dissolved oxygen levels haven’t improved significantly, and in some years, phosphorus levels have even spiked due to the significant sediment flows out of the Hangman (Latah) Creek Basin.
When I look at the data, and when I look at the river itself, I see something bigger happening. This isn’t just about nutrient loading. It’s about a river out of rhythm—disrupted by a dam and increasingly destabilized by climate change.
In a recent blog post, I explored how climate change is reshaping the Spokane River’s flow patterns. Warmer winters and more frequent rain-on-snow events are pushing massive, sediment-laden runoff into the river earlier and faster than this reservoir can handle. These aren’t just inconvenient anomalies; they’re warning signs that the system is shifting under our feet.
If we want this river to thrive again, we can’t just reduce pollution. Avista is now proposing more studies to further understand the dynamics in the reservoir—but this isn’t action. If we want to see real recovery, we need more than studies. We need the dam operator to step up and be accountable for the conditions it creates. We have to understand the whole picture: flow, climate, dams, and time. The reservoir is speaking. Our job is to listen—and act.
Where We Go From Here
The study makes clear that the next ten years are about finishing the job. That means:
Tackling Nonpoint Pollution: Sediment-laden runoff is choking our tributaries and the river. We need bold investments in land restoration, green infrastructure, and stronger protections for vulnerable watersheds—especially in areas already impacted by agricultural and urban development.
Continuing to Listen to the River: Monitoring matters. The data we collect today will guide tomorrow’s action. We must track how Lake Spokane responds, ensure ongoing harmful algae monitoring, and refine strategies when the river tells us something’s not working.
Protecting Justice Alongside Ecology: This work isn’t just technical—it’s moral. We must ensure tribal sovereignty, public health, and environmental justice are at the center of how we restore and protect this river. That means co-creating solutions with Indigenous communities, frontline neighborhoods, and those who have lived alongside these waters the longest.
Confronting the Impacts of Dams: We can’t talk about dissolved oxygen without acknowledging the fundamental role of Long Lake Dam. This structure transformed a flowing river into a reservoir, created conditions for low oxygen and harmful algal blooms, and blocked salmon and other native species from returning to their spawning grounds. As we evaluate long-term solutions, we must be honest about the ecological changes the dam has caused—and bold in seeking strategies that restore flow, improve oxygen levels, and repair the river’s natural rhythm. That includes holding dam operators accountable for water quality goals and exploring options that go beyond business as usual.
A Call to Protect
As a water protector, I don’t see this river as a resource to manage—I see her as a relative to protect. The Spokane River has endured pollution, neglect, and extraction, yet it continues to offer life, beauty, and connection. The 10-Year TMDL study proves that cleanup is possible—but fragile and complex. Our progress is real, but the work is not finished. Now is the time to commit—fully, deeply, and collectively—to restoring this river as a living being that nourishes us all.