Trench work at Downriver to remove old trees

A massive project to reduce stormwater and sewage flows into the Spokane River is going to force the removal of older trees along Columbia Circle and Downriver Golf Course in northwest Spokane.

Some of the residents living in the area are calling for saving the trees, but city officials said the planned trench work will force them to replant the existing trees with new ones more appropriate for their locations.

“It seems they have other options,” said Judy McGruder, who lives in the neighborhood.

Removal of the trees “destroys the beauty of the neighborhood,” said Barbara Hilbush, another resident.

They are calling for a halt to tree removal.

Marlene Feist, city spokeswoman, said that a web of pipes will be installed in the neighborhood with one of the largest pipes providing a connection from a 900,000-gallon stormwater retention tank now under construction at Providence Avenue and Northwest Boulevard.

The project is part of a multiyear effort to clean up pollution going into the Spokane River from the city’s sewer system.

The tank will collect stormwater flows during heavy runoff and hold the tainted water until after the storm so the water can be sent to the city’s wastewater treatment plant rather than being spilled directly into the river.

The connection to the main sewer plant line will be done with a 24-inch diameter pipe buried at depths of 14 to 30 feet.

A narrow planting median with trees along Columbia Circle will provide part of the route for the pipe.

Excavation will disrupt and destabilize the roots of the trees, creating a public safety hazard, Feist said.

“These trees are under stress already” from their narrow planting areas and lack of sufficient water, Feist said. In addition, a number of them are severely pruned to keep branches away from electrical lines.

At the golf course, the project will rebuild the 10th hole tee area with new landscaping.

Residents living adjacent to expected tree removals were being consulted about whether they wanted to have replacements in their own yards, Feist said.

The idea is to plant trees that are sized appropriately to their sites.

In addition to the stormwater connector pipe, the project is going to add sections of 42-inch sewer pipe in Columbia Circle.