Marlene Feist, Director of Strategic Development, Public Works & Utilities, No Phone Number Available
Friday, April 15, 2016 at 3:28 p.m.
Not every project designed to improve the health of the Spokane River has to be huge. Along Upriver Drive later this summer, a small wastewater storage facility will be built near Rebecca Street.
This facility is essentially a large pipe that will hold about 100,000 gallons of combined wastewater and stormwater to keep it from overflowing to the river. The project also will include new piping between Rebecca Street and Freya Street and replacement of pavement for that section. Vehicle traffic, as well as pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the Centennial Trail, in the area will be detoured. Construction is expected to cost about $875,000, but the project won’t be bid until later this year.
The Upriver facility is much smaller than the concrete tanks being built in other locations in our city that will hold between 1 million and 2 million gallons of that combined wastewater, but it’s still important.
The project is part of the City’s Cleaner River Faster initiative. The City of Spokane is investing more than $300 million in projects to improve water quality in the Spokane River, including projects like this that reduce overflows from combined sewers along with major improvements at the City’s wastewater treatment plant and stormwater management projects.
The goal is to limit the amount of pollution that reaches the river, including heavy metals, PCBs, fertilizers like phosphorus, oils, and fecal bacteria.
