John Osborn: how do you know the Spokane River?
Michael Pickering: Water has always been a part of my life. I grew up on Puget Sound and - after moving here - I found the Spokane River. I became an avid fly-fisher. Living in Browne’s Addition, I was fishing the river just about every day. I started at the Idaho state line and gradually worked my way down the river - fishing and swimming every spot I could find. In the past I served on the board of the local Trout Unlimited. We did a mapping project on some rehab work on both the Spokane River and Latah Creek. I have a family now – three kids. So I don't get to spend as much time on the water as I used to. But when I can get away I take my kids down to the river to fly-fish with me.
JO: And then one day …
Michael: I knew that spill was going on for 6-8 weeks. The River was in spring run-off, so at first the water was pretty high. Then flows began to drop. I was down on the River with some clients from Minnesota, taking them fishing. There was debris floating by. I fished it one more time after that. The water smelled bad.
When I took my brother-in-law down there, I waded into the river up to my waist. I didn’t know until I got into the river. It was horrible - just the smell and the color. I know this river. I know the smell of this river when I’m fishing. This was not good clean water. I knew something was wrong. Algae on the rocks was about a foot long.
Earlier on I had not thought to look at the pipe but I didn't because I had never seen anything come out of it before.
JO: You did something about what you saw and swelled.
Michael: I called a friend who is a reporter at KXLY. A different reporter showed up here at the office and we went down together. I showed her the off-colored water, and the algae: “I know there is a pipe up here, do you want to go look at it?” Before we got to the pipe we could hear it. It was a big pipe and was shooting out raw sewage. Actually it smelled more like detergent than sewage - rancid with a sweet smell to it. The thing that really surprised me most was the amount trash flowing out of the tube. It was a pretty shocking, horrible sight.
JO: And the story of the City of Spokane dumping raw sewage into the Spokane River was told – with huge consequences for the River. By knowing and caring about the River and then taking action, you made this possible.
Michael: Dumping raw sewage to the Spokane River has been a problem for a long time. I’ve been on this river for a long time and even during fair weather you can smell the sewage in places. I am really happy the story was told and the City is now working to fix the problem. But for me, it's not just the City's issue, it's the community's issue. When you think about the river and how it is connected to the City of Spokane, whatever you throw out your car window, put down your sink or toilet or spray on your yard... it all ends up in and impacting the river in ways more that we know. Our lives and actions are bound up with the health of our River. Even still, I don’t think we as a community make this connection between our actions and the Spokane River.
JO: One of the important “take home” messages is that one person can make a big difference for the Spokane River and our community.
Michael: I would hope that everyone would have done the same thing. So many people don’t know the river. People dump garbage off the side of the river. Some people are afraid of the river – they fear it is polluted or that it's not a safe place to be. It is essential that people go down to the River and recognize its connection to our community. We have a gem in the middle of our downtown core. My hope is that if the community understands the river and its beauty, the neglect and harm will end. Get to know it, and you’ll come to love the River. Yes, I’ve seen some disgusting things, but I’ve also experienced the River in some truly beautiful and memorable ways.
JO: And you take your children to the River?
Michael: Yes, I’ve taken all three of them down there. I’m trying to help them connect to the River. This past summer I was down with my daughter. We were waiting for the hatch to start sitting on a rock in the middle of the river watching all the wildlife. I taught her how to cast that day. At sunset the river comes alive like clockwork. The bugs start to hatch, the fish start to rise. She caught her first Spokane Rainbow on a dry fly that night. It was a great night.
I’m just a fly fisherman who fell in love with the River. I don’t see myself as a hero. I just did what I would hope everyone would do: do the right thing for the River.
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Afterword
As a result of Michael Pickering's action, Sierra Club filed a 60-day notice to sue City of Spokane for dumping raw sewage into the River. The settlement between Sierra Club and the City of Spokane has led to an aggressive effort by the City to prevent dry-weather sewage overflows into Spokane River. For the City of Spokane website on reducing Combined Sewer Overflows, click here.
