Wastewater System

The Wastewater System is operated by a dedicated staff of specialists who keep the sewer pipes, pumping stations, and treatment plants running reliably without interruption. Our state-of-the-art water reclamation facility produces water that is very clean, so that it can be released back to the environment for beneficial use.

Kevin R. Cooke, P.E. Environmental Services Director

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Description:

Spokane County Environmental Services has two video inspection crews. Our program is to inspect each gravity sewer line every 10 years. New sewer lines are inspected before being put into service. Also, problem areas are inspected more frequently. There are over 624 miles of gravity sewer pipe in our system.

Significance:

The video inspection program identifies sewer line faults including cracks, roots, obstructions, groundwater infiltration and evidence of backups. This information is used to identify repair projects and develop a condition rating for the sewer system. Our crews are doing very important work every day that results in fewer backups and excellent service to our customers.

Kevin R. Cooke, P.E. Environmental Services Director

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Description:

The Spokane County Regional Water Reclamation Facility (SCRWRF) is a state-of-the-art facility that reclaims highly treated water for return to the Spokane River. Under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, the SCRWRF is required to discharge an average of no more than 3.34 pounds per day of Total Phosphorus during the 8-month season of March through October of each year.

Significance:

With more than 300 pounds per day entering the SCRWRF from our sewer customers, the Facility removes 98.6% to 99.8% of the Total Phosphorus. An average of 3.0 pounds per day was discharged during the 8-month critical season in 2015. In 2016, approximately 1.8 pounds of phosphorus per day was discharged in the 8-month critical season. The performance of the SCRWRF is exceptional, and the facility consistently and effectively removes harmful pollutants from our wastewater.

Kevin R. Cooke, P.E. Environmental Services Director

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Description:

Spokane County Environmental Services has two line cleaning crews. Our line cleaning program is to clean each gravity sewer line at least every three years. Also, there are problem areas that are cleaned multiple times per year. There are over 624 miles of gravity sewer pipe in our system.

Significance:

The line cleaning program is an aggressive, proactive program aimed to eliminate sewer spills, odors and backups. Our line cleaning crews are doing important work every day that minimizes emergency repairs and results in excellent service to our customers. Note: Line cleaning production generally slows down during the winter months due to hazardous road conditions and the line cleaning equipment (which use water) cannot work when temperatures are below freezing.

Kevin R. Cooke, P.E. Environmental Services Director

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Description:

The Wastewater Operations and Maintenance Section has a Standby Program to make sure someone is always available to respond to emergency situations. These emergencies may include alarms at our facilities, sewage spills, locates for emergency excavation or backups reported by customers. There are twelve employees in the Standby Program and follow a one week rotation.

Significance:

The Wastewater Operations and Maintenance Section is responsible for keeping the sewer collections system operating 24/7/365. If there is a blockage, power failure or mechanical failure at one of our pump stations there may be a very short response time to remedy the situation. We are continuously monitoring and improving our system to make it more reliable and reduce the frequency of after-hours callouts. We have set a goal to reduce our callouts by approximately 50%.

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2015-2018 Cumulative Sewer Line Video Inspections

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Reclamation Facility - Percent of Phosphorus Removed

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2015-2018 Cumulative Sewer Line Cleaning

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2015-2018 Cumulative After-Hours Callouts