Our Gem: Does flushing your toilet protect our lake?

Does flushing your toilet protect our lake? If you live in the city of Coeur d’Alene, you bet it does! In ways that might not be immediately obvious. Wastewater from your house, that is the water that goes down your drain from your shower, washing machine, dishwasher, sinks, and yes, your toilets, eventually ends up at the Coeur d’Alene Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility. It is here where all the solids are removed from the wastewater.

But what happens to those solids? I remember learning in my Environmental Science class that when you throw something away, really “there is no away.” That truism applies here as well and the solids must go somewhere. At the treatment facility, the solids undergo a series of thickening and anaerobic digestion processes where microscopic bacteria almost magically transform them from a literal waste into a “Class B” biosolid. Almost every day of the year, approximately 20 yards of these biosolids are hauled from the Treatment Facility to the city’s Coeur d’Green Compost Facility where the product spends an additional 60 days composting before it is available as a “Class A, Exceptional Quality” product (meaning it has no application restrictions for horticultural use). It is then made available to the public through various neighborhood resellers and the annual Coeur d’Green Compost giveaway event.

The true magic lies in what Coeur d’Green Compost does for our soil and in turn, Our Gem, Coeur d’Alene Lake. Coeur d’Green, and all biosolids, are full of both organic matter and nutrients. Beyond the standard nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium found in fertilizer, it also contains micronutrients and “good” microbes, exactly what soils in our area often need. Lastly, and just as important, Coeur d’Green like all composts, improve the physical characteristics of the soil. Dense and heavy clay soils are broken up with the addition of compost making them drain more effectively while sandy soils benefit from the organic matter and are better able to retain water.

Let’s take a quick dive into what Coeur d’Green Compost is and what it isn’t. While it does contain the nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, they are in much lower quantities than the standard fertilizer bag found at your local big-box store. Compost offers lower amounts of these nutrients but releases them at a slower rate so they are available to the plant for a longer time, rather than just leaching into the ground like commercial fertilizers. A healthy plant starts with a healthy root and compost helps develop root growth by improving soil porosity and providing the micronutrients and microbes that chemical fertilizers likely won’t have. These more robust root structures not only make for healthier plants but also improve soil retention, thereby protecting our waterways from runoff and its associated consequences.

So yes, flushing your toilet in Coeur d’Alene really does make a difference. If you’d like to try Coeur d’Green on your lawn or garden, you can visit one of our retailers or come to our fifth annual compost giveaway, April 23-24. Compost will be staged outside the gate of the compost facility at 3500 N. Julia St. This is a self-serve event to bring your own containers and a shovel and be prepared to dig in! To learn more, visit www.cdaid.org/compost.

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Mike Anderson is superintendent for the city of Coeur d’Alene Wastewater Utility Department.

The Our Gem Coeur d’Alene Lake Collaborative is a team of committed and passionate professionals working to preserve lake health and protect water quality by promoting community awareness of local water resources through education, outreach and stewardship. Our Gem includes local experts from the University of Idaho Community Water Resource Center, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Kootenai Environmental Alliance, Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce, and CDA 2030.