RIVER JOURNAL
News & updates from the Spokane Riverkeeper
During the summer of 2021, community scientists from the Spokane area joined scientists from the University of Idaho and the Spokane Riverkeeper to capture and analyze crayfish from the Spokane River and Hangman Creek for mercury content. We found that crayfish from the Spokane River have very low mercury content, below the recommended threshold for consumption. Hangman Creek crayfish had slightly higher mercury content and are also safe to eat.
It is all about coming Home. This year, as your Spokane Riverkeeper, I will be continuing to discuss the importance of clean, cold water and the maintenance of river flows through the lens of chinook salmon recovery. We will continue the conversation with you all - our supporters - as well as ongoing internal discussions with those working hard directly on salmon recovery. The intersection of River protection and salmon recovery cannot be overstated. Not that long ago, salmon were a pillar of your River, the communities who lived with them, and the Rivers that depended on their bodies for sustenance. Upon their return home, they will again support the future of our Rivers and our communities.
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.
2021 was a record year for our river cleanup program. We had more people, more cleanups and more litter collected than ever before! Thank you to all who helped this year, especially Northwest Renewables and the Spokane River Forum. Read the stat’s here.
The Spokane Riverkeeper partnered with Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited and local community scientists for a fourth year, to measure the effect of Hangman Creek’s annual sediment plume on water clarity (turbidity) in the Spokane River. During the winter and spring of 2021 27 community scientists performed 121 sampling events, collecting 411 water samples from the Spokane River and Hangman Creek. These samples were analyzed for turbidity and compared against state standards.
Results show nine turbidity violations over the course of the study in the Spokane River due to Hangman Creek. These results suggest that turbid water, even in a low flow year, is impacting the Spokane River to a degree that fish habitat and other values are degraded.
This report summarizes how a warming planet is affecting our river, its tributaries, and ecosystems. We discuss the policies intended to maintain healthy river temperatures, how these policies should be implemented, and how our community can make changes to benefit the river that contributes so much to our watershed.
This blog examines what the rights are nature are, how they are different from current legislation, and where they are being used around the world.
Spokane is currently facing a drought, but what does that mean for the Spokane River? We are already seeing low river flows and high water temperatures, unhealthy for native fish populations and the river ecosystem. Drought also impacts how we use and see the river, limiting opportunities to kayak, float, or fish, and slowing rapids by one-half to one-third of normal spring and summer flow rates. Read and learn more about the different types of drought, how drought impacts Spokane and the river, and what we can do locally to improve river flows in such a dry summer.
Read what’s happening at the Spokane Riverkeeper!
Spokane residents use close to 5 times more water July to September than during other times of the year. Most of this peak demand comes from watering our lawns and gardens during the summer. Here are some irrigation guidelines to conserve water for our river.
Spokane Riverkeeper has been monitoring temperatures in the Spokane River since 2015, and this summer marks some of the highest water temperatures we’ve seen in the last six years. Portions of the river that rely solely on surface water are being transformed by increasingly hot summers and drought conditions for eastern Washington. Although river reaches that have cold groundwater influxes are more resilient, large volumes of superheated surface water can raise their temperatures above state standards. This phenomenon threatens populations of native trout that are already in a precarious position and whose populations are very low.
Check out this fascinating website recently posted by the Gonzaga Environmental Law Clinic. Short videos provide various perspectives that connect the dots and make sense of the long struggle for a clean Spokane River.
Last week, we saw record high temperatures up to 111° Fahrenheit. Increasing stressors, like rising temperatures and droughts associated with climate change, in combination with population growth and land development are all threatening the health of our river. The Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer contains about 10 trillion gallons of water (Spokane County Water Resources, n.d.). One would assume we have an endless water supply, why should we be worried about conservation? Most of our water use occurs in the spring and summer months, when outdoor irrigation is highest. In 2019, outdoor residential water use was 553 gallons per day per household compared to indoor water use of 113 gallons per day (City of Spokane Water Department, 2020). The city reports delivering up to 180 million gallons of water per day (City of Spokane Public Works & Utilities, n.d.). The aquifer and our river are connected. The aquifer actually contributes 59% of the water moving through the river every year (Spokane County Water Resources, 2020). Higher rates of water use lead to lower levels in the aquifer, and less water for our river.
Over 600,000 people depend on the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie aquifer for water. We know that the Spokane River is connected to the aquifer and is the largest source of recharge for our water supply. Our aquifer also contributes water to the river. Being good stewards of the river and all its wildlife means reducing water consumption, especially during the summer months when river flows are lowest. Water from this year’s snowpack was below average and this spring has been unusually dry. Spokane is currently facing moderate to severe drought conditions, and it is only June 10th!
Read our 2021 Spring update
Make no mistake about it, the Spokane Riverkeeper supports Lower Snake River dam removal. We believe it is our last best chance to bring the historic run of salmon back to a river once teeming with them. The plan put forward by Congressman Mike Simpson from rural Idaho, provides energy towards this goal. However, the environmental concessions included in his plan give us deep concerns. We urge our Washington Congressional Leaders to get involved and negotiate a plan that does not comprise our bedrock environmental laws. Please read our letter to Congressman Simpson to understand the breadth of our concerns. (photo from https://simpson.house.gov/salmon/)
We are firm in our opinion that it is time for the Washington Department of Ecology and the EPA to sunset the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force (SRRTTF) and develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) based clean up plan.
In 2021 our litter program will continue to evolve and grow to respond to the needs of the River and the community. We will continue to expand our relationship with river users, responding to their reports and working with them to remove the litter they identify. Community involvement drives us, through volunteering, monetary support, and advocacy. The community helps us prioritize the many tasks have on our plate, both litter-related and other.
Volunteer citizen scientists took 316 turbidity samples from the Spokane River and Hangman Creek during the winter and spring of 2020-2021. Results showed that Hangman Creek causes the Spokane River to exceed Washington State Water Quality Standards (WQS) for turbidity 14% of the time. These turbidity results, caused by an estimated 33,000 tons of excess sediment in the Spokane River water over the course of the study, are assumed to negatively affect native redband trout behavior in the Spokane River as well as degrade their habitat. Results should be evaluated by the Washington State Department of Ecology for inclusion on the 303d list of waters impaired for turbidity and sediment pollution.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our river cleanup program continued to thrive due to innovative partnerships and programs ,and the support of volunteers. This year the Spokane Riverkeeper cleaned up 12,000 pounds of trash in 61 river miles, with 473 volunteers, over 41 cleanup events.
