SPOKANE, Wash. — Waikiki Springs Nature Preserve, one of the area’s most popular trails, is currently closed as the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy undertakes a major restoration project to undo decades of environmental damage and restore the natural flow of the Little Spokane River.
The preserve was used as a sewage treatment plant from the 1970s to the 1990s. When the facility closed, gravel was placed on top of the sewage settling ponds to cover the area. That decision blocked the Little Spokane River from flowing through the preserve, fundamentally altering the ecosystem.
Over the past few weeks, the land conservancy has been hauling thousands of yards of gravel out of the area. In total, 40,000 yards of gravel must be removed to restore the natural landscape…