Spokane Riverkeeper raises concerns over drying riverbed for second year in a row

SPOKANE, Wash. — For the second time in two years, a stretch of the Spokane River has run dry.

The message of the dangers of a dry river was a common theme at Thursday’s Spokane River Rally, held by the Spokane Riverkeeper.

“You see all of the dead animals out there. It’s functionally dead. They aren’t going to return tomorrow or when the water comes up after Labor Day like they do every year. The river will take so long to come back and that’s if the water can come back over the summer,” said Spokane Riverkeeper water keeper Jule Schultz.

Last year, the Spokane River drying out was a huge shock to the community. This year, the river dried out two weeks faster than it did last year. Spokane Riverkeeper says this is a sign of what’s to come if major changes are not made.

“There was water here in 2021. That’s just five years that we’ve seen a significant change in our environment and conditions in our river,” said Spokane Riverkeeper water protector Katelyn Scott. “That’s a huge concern when it comes to our water resources overall, because they are all connected. And when we see major changes like that, this is the canary in the coal mine.”

There are multiple factors that contribute to the low water levels in this section of the river. Water can be lost down into the aquifer and snowpack was low this year.

Spokane Riverkeeper believes changing regulations on the Post Falls Dam, a major water source for the river, could be the solution.

“This is a product that happened over time, but it’s something that we know we can change by increasing flow out of the Post Falls Dam during our low flow season,” Scott said.

Avista, which operates the dam, is federally required to reduce the water released out of the dam when water levels in Lake Coeur d’Alene drop below a certain threshold. It will begin releasing water into the river next week after Labor Day, like it does every year.