River use ban ends Friday

The temporary ban on using the Spokane River will be lifted this week.

Spokane County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to end the river restrictions at 9 a.m. Friday.

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich recommended waiting until Friday to lift the ban, which prohibits swimming, kayaking, boating and other uses of the river. The sheriff urged extreme caution near the water, even after the restrictions end.

“Unless you’re an experienced watercraft operator, we don’t recommend you being on the water,” Knezovich said.

Meanwhile, the city of Spokane reopened South Riverton at Greene Street, which had been closed because of flooding.

Upriver Drive from Mission Avenue to Greene remains closed, city streets spokeswoman Ann Deasy said in a news release.

The National Weather Service predicts the river will remain above flood stage until Wednesday, meteorologist Ron Miller said.

The river crested Friday at 1.4 feet above flood stage. At its peak, 40,800 cubic feet per second passed by a river gauge near Peaceful Valley, said Bob Drzymkowski, Spokane field office chief for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Enough water was flowing to fill the Spokane Arena every 3 minutes, 15 seconds. The rush of water, which was about equal to 305,000 gallons a second, makes 2008 the sixth-highest annual peak flow in the river since it was first measured in 1891.

The overflowing river helped boost attendance and revenue at Riverfront Park over the weekend.

The park took in about $105,000 for attractions including the gondola over the falls from Friday through Monday – about 45 percent more than last Memorial Day weekend, said Craig Butz, the park department’s recreation and entertainment manager.

“The traffic in the park was just crazy,” he said.