SPOKANE, Wash. — Less snow and more rain this winter could impact your summer fun on the Spokane River.
Typically, the Spokane River moves fast in the winter and spring and slower in the summer.
However, with this year’s warmer winter, there is less snow, meaning less runoff expected come springtime.
“What it does is create lower flows in the summer, and that impacts recreation and impacts fish and our river,” said Water Keeper at Spokane Riverkeeper, Jule Schultz.
He said the water is currently flowing at an above-average level right now.
So far, it’s not an issue, but it could become a problem in the coming months.
“In a snowpack-driven system, you’re always looking to the mountains. We’re lucky to have snow for our ski resorts, and some snow left up there for our springtime flows, but our mid-mountain snowpack, really below those ski resorts, is almost non-existent,” said Schultz.
He said without snow at lower elevations, there won’t be any melt to flow into the rivers when the weather warms.
Lower levels could also negatively affect the river’s wildlife.
“Low flows impact fish and our river because they have smaller areas to live. So, they’re all squeezed into one little spot and they need food then,” said Schultz.
Low flows can also make fish more vulnerable to diseases.
Not all hope is lost, however. Shutlz said the aquifer provides some water to the river.
“We’re lucky because we have an aquifer that feeds our river in the summer. But, we rely on that aquifer not only for river water, but also for our domestic supply,” he said.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
