SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) _ Environmental groups are asking the state Department of Ecology to release more water into the Spokane River during summer months, when the popular waterway can slow to a trickle.
They seek a minimum summertime flow of 1,800 to 2,800 cubic feet per second to support fisheries and recreation, rather than the 850 cfs rate the agency recently adopted.
Officials for the Ecology Department did not return several telephone messages left at offices in Olympia and Spokane on Tuesday.
The Spokane River flows out of Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho and moves through the state's second-largest city, forming spectacular waterfalls and a deep gorge, before merging with the Columbia River.
The Department of Ecology has 60 days to respond to the petition.