Spokane County outlines West Plains comprehensive-plan update, flags aquifer, wetlands and PFAS concerns

Spokane County Planning Director Scott Chesley told a West Plains community meeting that the county is accelerating a comprehensive-plan revision and an environmental-impact analysis that will guide where and how the county accommodates roughly 100,000 new residents over the next 20 years and what protections are needed for groundwater and wetlands.

Chesley said the update uses an environmental-impact statement (EIS) framework to test alternatives for growth, infrastructure and environmental trade-offs and to identify where mitigation would be infeasible. “What we're doing with our comprehensive plan update is the 10 year update that is required by the Growth Management Act,” Chesley said. He said the draft EIS is expected “by the end of the year,” followed by a 45-day public review and a final EIS in 2026; staff expect planning-commission hearings in October 2026 and a board decision thereafter.

The meeting focused on the West Plains aquifer, mapped “paleo” channels that speed groundwater movement, wetlands and the county’s critical-areas ordinance. Chesley and…