Wastewater levels in Spokane River high due to drought

Published 11:10 am Friday, July 31, 2015

SPOKANE — While wastewater going into the Spokane River isn’t new, because of the drought, effluent makes up more and more of the rivers water.

KXLY-TV reported that treated sewage makes up about 16 percent of water flowing past Spokane and into Long Lake.

Coeur d’Alene Wastewater Department spokesman Sid Fredrickson says e-coli or fecal-coli bacteria are mostly eliminated after the nine hours wastewater spends at the treatment plant. After the cleaning, water is pushed into the river.