SPOKANE, Wash. — Today construction begins on the Cochran Basin Stormwater Treatment
Facility. This water filtration project will not only impact the treatment facility, but also recreation in the area.
One of the most notable changes the public will notice is the closure of the Downriver Disc Golf Course and the TJ Meenach watercraft access area.
Charlie Lovell showed up to the disc golf course hoping to get a game in, but was disappointed when he found out that the course is now closed until next year.
"I'm just wanting to see what they do with it," said Lovell.
The course is closing temporarily to make room for ten ponds that will treat and infiltrate stormwater that flows from most of North Spokane.
The ponds will be located at Downriver Disc Golf Course and Downriver Park and will be able to treat up to 11 million gallons of stormwater each day that currently enters the Spokane River.
Kirstin Davis is the communication director for the City of Spokane. She says this is another phase of a project that dates back decades
"We've already put a storm pipe underneath downriver golf course that's been completed,” said Davis. “We're working on the pipe system in that neighborhood. We've already installed an CSO tank up there, so this is just another phase of that big picture."
Davis says the city is constantly looking for efficient and innovative ways to improve the cleanliness of our river and our groundwater.
“So, this is just one more of the projects that allows us to do that everything from our combined sewer overflow tanks that collect water when it rains really hard and you know, it doesn't have time to get treated as quickly. So, we can store that water until it does have time to go through the treatment facility,” said Davis.
Davis further explains that the ponds will serve as a net collecting the toxins and trash from storm water before it moves back into the river. The plan also includes a new 18 hole disc golf course.
"Maybe that'll change the aspect and the flow of the course of it but it'll be fun,” said Lovell.
Davis says the project is set to wrap up in June of 2023.
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