Oregon Public Broadcasting

Newly released data show Spokane’s 10-month-old ban on phosphate-laden dishwasher detergents is having its intended environmental effect. But it’s not very popular with consumers.

Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports that Washington’s Department of Ecology is asking the public to stay patient.

Washington imposed the countywide phosphate ban to reduce the amount of phosphorus that goes to the Spokane River. Phosphorus helps algae grow; the algae compete with fish for oxygen.

Jani Gilbert from the state Department of Ecology says early results from Spokane’s wastewater treatment plant show the ban is working.

Jani Gilbert: “They found approximately a 14-percent decrease in the amount of phosphorus that’s going to the treatment plant.”

But many Spokane County consumers grumble that the non-phosphate detergents don’t work as well. Some people are going to Idaho to buy the soap they like and then smuggling it back across the border.

Gilbert says Spokane’s hard water makes the detergents less effective. She suggests finding brands that have some form of salt in them to soften the water. Or she says people can supplement the non-phosphate detergents with baking soda or laundry soap.

Online:

Washington Department of Ecology