SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane voters will decide next month whether to join Spokane County’s Aquifer Protection Area, which the city has not been part of for the past 20 years.
If passed, residents would pay an annual $15 fee on top of their property taxes for the next 20 years. People living in rural areas who use septic tanks would be charged $30 per year.
The protection area monitors the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to Spokane, Spokane Valley and other jurisdictions. Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake have remained in the protection area during the city’s absence.
“It’s really about protecting our region’s primary source of clean and safe drinking water,” said Pat Bell, communications director for Spokane County.
The funding would support infrastructure projects for stormwater and sewage systems, as well as maintaining clean drinking water for the area, according to city officials.
“We know that one thing climate change will do for us is change how precipitation comes to us, which will lower the aquifer levels over the years. Which means we might have to dig our wells a little deeper, so it could do a project for us like that,” said Marlene Feist, City of Spokane Public Works Director.
Amy Sumner, water resources manager for Spokane County, said the protection area uses 51 monitoring sites to examine chemicals in the aquifer’s water. The area continues to share water quality data with Spokane even though the city is not currently a member.
“This includes planning, infrastructure projects for water systems, sewers or stormwater,” Sumner said.
Bell said PFAS contamination and other toxic substances have become growing concerns for the aquifer’s long-term health.
“PFAs has been a concern recently, along with other toxic contaminations throughout the years. It’s things that we need to deal with now and well into the future,” Bell said.
The proposed fee comes as Spokane voters face multiple ballot measures that would raise taxes. The Together Spokane initiatives for city parks and public schools would increase property taxes for a median home by approximately $95 per year.
However, county officials said it’s important to note that the aquifer protection fee has remained unchanged over the last two few decades.
“This fee has not changed since 1985, so we’re really proud of that and the fact that we can continue providing these services at the same rate,” Sumner said.
Multiple cities in Spokane County, including Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake and Millwood, will also ask voters to decide on renewing or joining the aquifer protection area.
Ballots for the Aug. 5 primary election are expected to be mailed out this week.
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