The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its plan to reduce polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Spokane River basin. PCBs, which can accumulate in aquatic organisms and pose health risks to people who consume fish, enter surface water through various sources such as industrial wastewater and atmospheric deposition.
Casey Sixkiller, Regional Administrator for the EPA’s Region 10 office in Seattle, stated, “This plan charts a course for the Spokane River watershed that will bring greater health protections to those who eat significant amounts of fish.”
The plan was finalized following a legal agreement between the EPA and environmental groups including the Sierra Club and Center for Environmental Policy and Law. It establishes a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for PCBs to protect human health and aquatic life along approximately 100 miles of the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers.
Under this new plan, the allowable concentration of PCBs discharged into the watershed is reduced from Washington State's current standard of seven picograms per liter to 1.3 picograms per liter, aligning with standards set by the Spokane Tribe of Indians in 2013.
PCBs concentrations vary along the river, ranging from about 30 picograms per liter near Post Falls, Idaho to over 150 through Spokane Valley into Long Lake in Washington.
The Washington Department of Ecology will develop an implementation plan using this pollution budget to achieve TMDL goals. Efforts will focus on reducing PCBs through stormwater controls and stricter discharge limits for wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities.
Acknowledging that these limits are challenging to meet due to current measurement capabilities, the EPA supports gradual tightening of PCB limits as technology advances.
Idaho's water quality standards require compliance with downstream standards, including those set by other states.
Efforts by dischargers in the Spokane River watershed have already led to significant reductions in PCBs through upgrades at wastewater treatment plants and regional initiatives like the Spokane River Toxics Task Force.
The EPA recently allocated nearly $7 million in grants to support toxics reduction efforts as part of the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program. These funds will aid in developing a regional plan specific to the Spokane River and implementing it on-the-ground.
PCBs were widely used before being banned in 1979 across industries such as electrical transformers and consumer applications like fluorescent light ballasts. They remain present throughout global watersheds.
For more information on this initiative, visit: https://www.epa.gov/tmdl/spokane-river-pcb-tmdls
