Work to Resume on CSO Project Next to Downtown Library

Lincoln between Spokane Falls Blvd and Main to be closed

Marlene Feist, Public Works, (509) 625-6505


Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 3:36 p.m.


Final work on the last of the City of Spokane’s projects to reduce overflows from combined sewers to the Spokane River is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 8.

Lincoln Street between Spokane Falls Boulevard and Main Avenue will be closed starting Monday and continuing into September. Spokane Falls Boulevard will remain open to traffic, and access to the River Park Square parking garage on Lincoln will be maintained

The closure on Lincoln is needed as crews make the final sewer pipe connection to a huge underground storage tank. The tank sits under a new public plaza located along Spokane Falls Boulevard across from the Downtown Library. The plaza opened in late May.

This summer’s work is the last of the planned construction to reduce those overflows. In some parts of the City, wastewater and stormwater sewers are linked together, and during periods of heavy rain or rapid snowmelt, these pipes can become overwhelmed and overflow to the river. Tanks store the excess water until the storm surge subsides and the water can be sent to the Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility for treatment.

The Spokane Falls Boulevard combined sewer overflow (CSO) tank can hold 2.2 million gallons of combined wastewater. Overall, the City has installed about two dozen tanks with a total of more than 16 million gallons of storage capacity. The City is investing more than $350 million to improve the health of the river. A major upgrade at the City’s treatment plant continues as well.