LONG LAKE, Wash. -- Washington's Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency are moving closer to finding ways to clean up Long Lake.
The goal is to get all the cities and towns along the Spokane River to cut how much soap and phosphorus they dump in the water. But for towns in Idaho, new rules could have them paying millions for a problem found only in Washington.
Phosphorus in Long Lake has created large algae blooms and cut oxygen to fish. For almost 10 years, environmental officials have been working on a plan to fix the problem. The public comment period ends Friday and people living in the city of Post Falls are speaking loudly.
"It's hard to plan for what we don't know what we're planning for," said Post Falls public works official Terry Warner.
The Post Falls waste water treatment facility is getting a $10 million expansion. But Warner only has one big frustration.
"Has the E.P.A. been relatively receptive to you concerns and concerns from other entities? No," commented Warner.
The issue stems from an issue in Washington. And that is cleaning Long Lake. The E.P.A. and Washington D.E.Q. are working on a plan to cut phosphorus discharges by 90%. Post Falls already cuts 90% to 95% of phosphorus out of its plant. Soon, it'll have to cut 99.5%
"They say this is a collaborative process. Maybe it's a collaboration between E.P.A. and D.E.Q. I haven't seen the collaboration with the state of Idaho," said Warner.
Post Falls will likely have to add a filtration system, which would cost taxpayers up to $20 million.
"It's not like we can go to the voters and say, it you vote this down, it's okay. We're still stuck," said Warner.
Warner says right now, it's just not fair. The E.P.A. said Thursday it is fair but acknowledges these upgrades won't be easy.
The phosphorus changes also apply to Coeur d'Alene and Hayden in Idaho. E.P.A. officials said even though what they're asking for helps Washington and Idaho, it is the law through the clean water act. They would have nine years to comply.
