Editing Spokane, Washington (section)

===Utilities===
The City of Spokane provides municipal [[water supply network|water]], [[sewage treatment|wastewater management]], and [[solid waste management]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Spokane Regional Solid Waste System |publisher=Spokane Regional Solid Waste System |url=http://www.solidwaste.org/| access-date = December 7, 2014}}</ref> Spokane operates Washington's only [[waste-to-energy]] plant as well as two solid waste [[Transfer station (waste management)|transfer station]]s as part of the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System, a collaboration between the City of Spokane and Spokane County.<ref name="Roesler">{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Roesler |title=Plant's electricity could gain value with 'renewable' status |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/feb/25/from-garbage-to-green/ |format=Reprint |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |date=February 25, 2009 | access-date=December 7, 2014}}</ref> Electricity generated by the waste-to-energy plant is used to operate the facility, with excess energy being sold to [[Puget Sound Energy]].<ref name="Roesler" /> Spokane draws its water from the [[Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer]]; this {{convert|370|sqmi|km2|0|adj = on}} "sole source aquifer" is the only water supply for Spokane County in Washington, and for [[Kootenai County, Idaho|Kootenai]] and [[Bonner County, Idaho|Bonner]] counties in Idaho.<ref>{{cite web |title=Compilation of Information for Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, Washington and Idaho |work=Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5227 |publisher=United States Geological Survey |date=January 10, 2013 |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2005/5227/section3.html| access-date = September 13, 2014}}</ref> Serving over 500,000 people, the aquifer is distinguished in being one of the [[Aquifers in the United States|largest aquifers in the country]] at 10 trillion gallons, as well as having one of the fastest [[Groundwater discharge|flow rates]] in the country at {{convert|60|ft|m}} per day, and for its purity.<ref name=aquifer>{{cite web |title=The Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Atlas |publisher=Spokane Aquifer Joint Board |date=December 31, 2009 |url=http://www.spokaneaquifer.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/AquiferAtlas.pdf| access-date = November 6, 2016}}</ref>{{Ref|aquifer|[i]}}

Natural gas and electricity are provided by the local utility, [[Avista Utilities]], while [[CenturyLink]] and [[Comcast]] provide television, internet, and telephone service. Spokane hosts three [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] generation facilities on the Spokane River: the Upriver Dam, the [[Upper Falls Power Plant|Upper Falls Dam]], and the Monroe Street Dam. The Upriver Dam is owned and operated by the City of Spokane, and generates the electricity needed to operate the municipal water supply's pressure pumps.<ref name="UpriverDam">{{cite web |title=Water – City of Spokane |url=https://beta.spokanecity.org/publicworks/water/upriverdam/ |publisher=City of Spokane | access-date=March 19, 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20140319084943/https://beta.spokanecity.org/publicworks/water/upriverdam/ | archive-date=March 19, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The power generated in excess of that is sold to Avista Utilities.<ref name="UpriverDam" /> The Upper Falls and Monroe Street dams are owned and operated by Avista Utilities, and have respective generation capacities of 10 and 15 [[Megawatts|MW]].<ref name="SpokaneDams">{{cite web |title=Spokane River Dams |url=http://www.avistautilities.com/environment/spokaneriver/dams/Pages/default.aspx |publisher=Avista Utilities | access-date=March 19, 2014}}</ref>