Ecology invites interested people to review and comment on the Inland Empire Paper Company (WA0000825) draft water quality permits from March 4 – April 18, 2022.
We are reviewing and drafting new water quality permits to ensure the five wastewater treatment facilities that discharge into the Spokane River continue to meet clean water requirements. This is the third draft permit open for comment. Previously, we held comment on the Kaiser Aluminum Facility (WA0000892) and City of Spokane Facility (WA0024473) draft water quality permits from Dec. 29, 2021 – Feb. 11, 2022. We anticipate draft permits for Spokane County and Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District to be available for comment in late March 2022.

View draft documents on our webpage

Comment on Inland Empire Paper

We are planning two identical workshops to explain the proposed changes to this permit and to answer questions prior to the formal public hearings. Hearings provide an opportunity for people to give formal oral testimony. Oral testimony will receive the same consideration as written comments. The public hearings will begin immediately following each workshop and will conclude when testimony is complete.

Tuesday, April 5 at 1:30 p.m.
Join the webinar
Thursday, April 7 at 6 p.m.
Join the webinar

The workshops and hearings offered via webinar allow individuals to view the presentation and provide testimony via computer, phone, or mobile device. Ecology will not be offering in-person hearings due to safety concerns from COVID-19.

Next Steps
After reviewing the feedback we receive, we will respond to comments and make decisions on permit reissuance for the facility. We plan to complete this work by Spring 2022.

Karl Rains
Water Quality Planner
Karl.Rains@ecy.wa.gov