Yesterday, October 29, the U.S. EPA issued a Final PCB TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) for the Spokane River and Little Spokane River. We’re sharing a joint press release from the Spokane Riverkeeper and the Sierra Club’s Spokane River chapter regarding a major progress on addressing PCB contamination on the Spokane River.
This TMDL is a result of years of advocacy, scientific research, and legal action aimed at reducing harmful PCB pollution affecting our river and community health. However, we are disappointed in the final plan, and do not believe it will sufficiently reduce PCB levels in the river.
We believe the final TMDL fails to address critical concerns about the monitoring and analysis of PCB contamination, including failing to test fish tissue and sediment data significantly limiting our understanding of the contamination in our river. Additionally, this plan uses outdated monitoring methods cannot detect low PCB concentrations, despite the existence of newer, more sensitive monitoring methods.
Spokane Riverkeeper and Sierra Club Spokane River Team remain dedicated to advocating for stronger protections and effective PCB reduction measures. We will continue to hold the EPA and other responsible parties accountable for the health of the Spokane River and work to ensure that the necessary actions are taken to protect public health, fish populations, and the broader ecosystem.