The federal Clean Water Act requires that states and tribes restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. States and tribes must adopt water quality standards necessary to protect fish, shellfish, and wildlife while providing for recreation in and on the waters whenever possible.

The Little Lost River Subbasin is located in eastern Idaho on the northern margin of the Snake River plain. The watershed is approximately 50 miles long by 20 miles wide (963 square miles). The valley floor averages seven miles in width, and is fairly consistent in width from the head of the valley to the mouth. Shaped like a long rectangle, it contains a high elevation valley flanked by the Lost River Range to the west and the Lemhi Range to the east.

Water quality, native fish populations, and riparian habitat conditions have been issues of concern in the Little Lost River watershed since the combined effects of flooding, wildfires, warm season grazing, exotic species, and humanmade diversions have combined to alter sediment deposition, fish populations, and riparian vegetation along the listed segments.

The listed segments are also important components of the Little Lost River bull trout recovery unit. The Endangered Species Act requires that conservation plans be developed and implemented to restore bull trout populations to levels that insure their persistence in the Little Lost River Watershed.

DEQ has determined that water quality has been limited by sediment deposition and elevated stream temperatures due to stream bank erosion and reduction of riparian vegetation.

DEQ has developed recommendations for the reduction of stream bank erosion that will ultimately result in beneficial use support through improving stream bank stability and subsequently riparian vegetation to reduce temperature. Sediment load reductions are quantified through stream bank erosion inventories that estimate stream bank erosion based on stream bank conditions documented along several reaches of each stream. Instream sediment targets have been identified from literature values that are supportive of salmonid spawning and cold water biota. These target values will be used to track the progress of stream bank recovery and determine the need for additional management practices to improve water quality. Monitoring will be conducted by land management agencies to determine the adequacy of reductions and management practices.