Liberty Lake district disputes sewer connection denial

LIBERTY LAKE — The Liberty Lake Water and Sewer District fears a recent Spokane County Building and Planning Department decision could affect the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.

LLWSD requested a connection to Spokane's public sewer system for an eight-parcel rural cluster on Wyvern Lane in Liberty Lake. It was denied July 24.

"Installing septic systems on the rural cluster plat on Wyvern Lane poses a direct contamination risk to Liberty Lake and the underlying Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer," the district said in the press release on Tuesday.

The decision will require the development to rely on private on-site septic systems despite being located within a designated Critical Aquifer Recharge Area and with existing public sewer infrastructure being available, according to the LLWSD.

The district said the Growth Management Act and county code require protection of the groundwater quality and aquifer recharge areas. It said it was especially important at the Wyvern Lane cluster, where “erodible soils, shallow bedrock, wetlands, and seasonal streams limit the suitability of private on-site sewage disposal systems.”

Spokane County denied the permit because “the property is located outside the Urban Growth Area and claiming public sewer service does not qualify under any one of the four exemptions listed under Spokane County code 13.650.114," the release said.

The LLWSD disagrees and said all four of the exemptions apply to the development. 

It said providing sanitary sewer service to the rural cluster under the specific exceptions allowed does not justify or encourage development that “would otherwise be considered inappropriate for a rural area.” 

“The District is simply providing sanitary sewer service to an approved plat with an approved density authorized by Spokane County,” per the release.

The district announced that Spokane County’s decision has already been appealed by landowners and said they believe the decision “conflicts with longstanding state law, county policy, and decades of environmental planning.” 

According to the press release, the initial evaluations on the land determined several of the lots failed to meet the requirements for conventional septic systems. 

As a result, those lots would require nonconventional septic systems and the recording of septic easements to accommodate alternative wastewater solutions. 

It said existing public sewer service was made available to the property boundary and in December 2025, at the request of Spokane County, the property owner submitted a final plat alteration to eliminate the septic easements and connect all eight lots to the public sewer system.  

This request was supported by both the property owners and the LLWSD, per the press release. 

Liberty Lake has dealt with issues from septic discharges in the past. The LLSWD was formed in 1973 to eliminate septic charges and improve the lake's water quality. Since 1973, the LLSWD has invested over $100 million in lake restoration efforts, the release said.

According to the release, the district serves around 4,385 sewer customers, with 535 of them being located outside the Urban Growth Area. Since 2001, 55 homes outside the UGA have been connected to the LLWSD system. 

Jordan Meal, director of Spokane County Building and Code Enforcement, declined to comment when contacted by The Press.