Sierra Club Implementation Plan Proposal
Dissolved Oxygen Water Quality Clean-Up Plan (TMDL)
July 2004
The Clean Water Act requires the Washington Department of
Ecology to adopt a clean-up plan to improve dissolved oxygen
in the Spokane River. As a part of that plan, Ecology must
include implementation strategies that describe how the
clean-up will be accomplished. Because conditions in the
river are so bad, wastewater treatment plants may be
required to adopt strict treatment standards and alternative
disposal methods (in other words, not discharge to the River
during the low flow season).
In an effort to promote productive discussion about the
issues, Sierra Club proposed this implementation plan. It
includes proposals for water conservation, influent
reduction, pollution reduction, reclamation and reuse of
wastewater, land application and other strategies. In
addition to ideas, we included examples from other cities
where these measures are being used successfully to control
wastewater pollution, along with links to websites.
The report was prepared by Rachael Paschal Osborn, Bonne
Beavers of the Center for Justice, and law clerks Earl P.
Jones and Micah LeBank.
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