Water conservation encouraged as river flows drop

Flows are dropping in the Spokane River, and environmental groups are encouraging local residents to conserve water.

On Tuesday, flows dropped below 750 cubic feet per second near People’s Park in downtown Spokane, where the U.S. Geological Survey’s gauge takes measurements. The state of Washington has established flows of 850 cubic feet per second as the minimum protective level for the river’s native redband trout in late summer.

Conserving water reduces pumping from the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which is interconnected to the river.

“Think about our river and aquifer as one,” said John Roskelley, a former Spokane County Commissioner who’s active in environmental causes. “The water we use from the aquifer is water lost to the river for fish and wildlife habitat.”