DOE develops plan to clean up S. Palouse

Now that the fecal coliform bacteria polluting the Palouse River has been attributed to pigeons and infiltration from storm water drains, the state is coming up with a plan of attack.

The state Department of Ecology is putting together a plan which calls on different agencies around the Palouse to do their part in cleaning up the river.

Within 10 years, the DOE wants the levels of bacteria in the river to meet state water quality standards; about 100 count of fecal coliform bacteria per three ounces of water.

“We definitely want to address it as quickly as possible. Fortunately, there’s not a lot of recreation in the river,” said Elaine Snouwaert, water quality specialist with the DOE office in Spokane.

Dozens of pooping pigeons make their nests above Spring Flat Creek, which flows into Colfax and enters the South Fork of the Palouse south of W. Cooper Street. Their nests dot the underside of two bridges which run over the creek.

DOE officials found the two most polluted locations on the South Fork were in downtown Pullman and entering the south end of Colfax. Snouwaert began working with a team of representatives from the DOE, Colfax and Pullman in the summer of 2008 to narrow down the source of the bacteria.

The resulting conclusion about the pigeon guano came after lab tests conducted on the river as it flows through Colfax and Pullman.

In the DOE’s plan, the following agencies are charged with some task of the cleanup: Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute, WSU, the towns of Pullman, Albion and Colfax.

Snowaert said the DOE has the ultimate authority on water quality standards and the agencies involved with river flow must follow those standards.