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Links to Water Body Studies and Plans

 

DEQ's Coeur d'Alene Lake Management Contact

Glen Rothrock
DEQ Coeur d'Alene Regional Office
2110 Ironwood Parkway, Suite 100
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
ph: 208/769-1422
fx: 208/769-1404
glen.rothrock@deq.idaho.gov

Coeur d'Alene Tribe Lake Management Contact

Phillip Cernera
Coeur d'Alene Tribe
850 A Street
P.O. Box 408
Plummer, ID 83851
ph: (208) 667-5772
philc@cdatribe-nsn.gov


Water Body Studies and Plans:

Coeur d'Alene Lake Management Plan

 
2008 Draft Lake Management Plan
Coeur d'Alene Lake Water Quality Studies
Previous Lake Management Activities
 2008 Draft Lake Management Plan

In June 2008, a draft Coeur d’Alene Lake Management Plan (LMP) was completed, culminating a year-long effort by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and DEQ, with the help of a professional mediator, to develop a collaborative plan for protecting lake water quality.

The draft plan was open for public comment for 60 days. The public comment period closed August 25, 2008.

> Link to Draft Coeur d'Alene Lake Management Plan (pdf 3.1 mb, 185 pages).

> Link to fact sheet on draft LMP (pdf 61 kb, 2 pages).

 Coeur d'Alene Lake Water Quality Studies

Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho's second largest, has undergone several studies to evaluate water quality and determine the need for remedial actions to protect the lake against degradation. Studies have focused primarily on nutrient and metals concentrations. The lake has been the recipient of trace-element-enriched mining and smelting wastes that were produced over 100 years by mining and ore-processing activities in the Coeur d'Alene River drainage basin.

A nutrient loading study conducted in 1975 classified Coeur d'Alene Lake as mesotrophic, or moderately productive, and recommended that additional studies of the sources and magnitudes of nutrients be performed prior to development of a lake management plan. Nutrients promote growth. In excess, nutrients in water bodies may accelerate algae growth, reduce swimming and boating opportunities, create a foul taste or odor, and kill fish by reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water and increasing the pH.

Subsequent to the 1975 study, various water quality studies of Coeur d'Alene Lake were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. A 2002-03 study

revealed that as a whole, Coeur d'Alene Lake exhibits relatively high water quality, while some specific geographical areas of the lake are experiencing specific water quality problems. Based upon a review of the results of that study, it was determined that the best approach to protecting the lake's water quality would be to develop strategies for addressing water quality problems in four different lake zones: nearshore, shallow southern lake, lower rivers, and deep, open water.

 Previous Lake Management Activities

In 1993, a workgroup comprised of representatives of USGS, DEQ, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Clean Lakes Coordinating Council, Coeur d'Alene Basin Restoration Project, and commissioners from Benewah, Kootenai, and Shoshone Counties was formed to develop a lake management plan. A plan was developed addressing the four lake zones mentioned above; the plan was approved by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the Boards of Commissioners of Kootenai and Shoshone Counties in 1996.

Over the next several years, some management actions outlined in the plan were implemented while others were not. A draft addendum was developed in 2002-03, but was not adopted. Also in 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a record of decision for cleanup of metals in the Coeur d’Alene Basin from historic mining activities. While the lake is within the boundaries of the Superfund site, EPA did not include the lake in its clean-up plans. Instead, EPA acknowledged that an update of the 1996 Coeur d’Alene Lake Management Plan may be the appropriate tool to address contaminants in the lake.

In 2006, DEQ and the tribe entered into a facilitation agreement renewing their commitment to finalize a joint lake management plan. In spring 2007, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe began water quality monitoring within tribal reservation waters of the lake, and DEQ within state jurisdictional waters. A Quality Assurance Project Plan
served as a work plan for the monitoring program.




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