Spokane Valley council approves interlocal agreement to join aquifer protection renewal

Spokane Valley — The Spokane Valley City Council on April 22 unanimously authorized the city manager to execute an interlocal agreement (ILA) with Spokane County that allows the city to participate in a countywide Aquifer Protection Area (APA) renewal that will be placed before voters.

The agreement directs that at least 70% of revenues collected from Spokane Valley be returned to the city unless both the county and city agree otherwise, while the remaining funds may be retained by the county to run the APA program. "At least 70% of the collected revenues from the City Of Spokane Valley must be returned back to the city of Spokane Valley unless there's some other written approval provided by both the city and county," City staff said during the presentation.

The ILA does not change the current fee level proposed for the ballot. Staff and council said the county is proposing to keep the APA fee at $15 — the same amount it has been for decades — and that the county intends to submit the renewal to voters this year. Council member questions confirmed this is a renewal, not a new tax increase: staff said the county will keep the $15 rate and the measure would extend the fee for the next 20 years if approved.

Why it matters

The APA is a voter-approved funding mechanism that supports protection of groundwater in the Spokane area. The money funds monitoring, education and program administration to reduce pollutants and protect drinking water supply that, staff said, benefits City of Spokane Valley residents and businesses. Adam Jackson, a staff presenter, told council the county uses the retained portion of APA funds for "monitoring and testing," "education and outreach," and programmatic administration required by state permit conditions.

What council approved

Council considered two related items: a motion authorizing the city manager to sign the ILA and a related resolution (listed in council materials as Resolution 2025-7) that adds Spokane Valley municipal boundaries to the APA ballot measure. Both passed unanimously.

Council discussion and public comment

Council members asked for clarity about how APA funds would be spent locally. In reply, staff said the city's returned portion has in recent years been used for local capital projects that improve water quality before discharge to the aquifer — for example, swales constructed on South Sullivan from Sprague to Eighth that provide treatment prior to discharge. When asked whether past work funded by APA included septic-to-sewer conversions, staff said those conversions were a prior use and that recent returned funds have funded capital projects to improve water quality.

Public comments at the meeting were largely supportive. Diana Wilhite of Spokane Valley urged the council to participate and said a substantial share of county funds "goes for education with our young kids, teaching them especially about water conservation and how important it is to protect our water quality." John Harding, a Spokane Valley resident, praised the concept but asked for evidence that the spending improves downstream conditions and requested peer-reviewed studies or EPA guidance showing the effectiveness of the required measures. Another commenter suggested periodic testing of swales and expressed concern that fertilizer and pesticide runoff could increase nitrate loads to the aquifer.

Next steps

With the ILA approved and the resolution adopted, council records show the county has signed the ILA and will place the renewal on the ballot for voter approval. If voters approve the APA renewal, the ILA sets the revenue split and allows the city to receive local funds for projects designed to protect aquifer water quality.