From citizen science to civic duty: Vote ‘yes’ for clean water

September 28, 2025

By Jennifer Ekstrom
Reader Contributor

Whether it’s boating on Lake Pend Oreille, floating on the Pack River or lounging at City Beach, the best parts of summer have one thing in common: water.

Water is our most precious resource. It makes up 70% of Earth’s surface, and nearly the same amount of our bodies. In Bonner County, more than 9% of the surface is freshwater, which provides drinking water and opportunities for recreation. Water shapes our favorite places, offers critical wildlife habitat and is essential to all life.

Yet water is at constant risk of drought, overallocation and pollution. That’s why the

Idaho Conservation League and our volunteers work so hard to protect our water before

it’s polluted, as it’s far more effective to keep our waterways healthy than to try and clean them up after they’re already polluted.

This summer, 28 dedicated volunteer water stewards completed their work to monitor 13 sites across Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River. Each month, from June through September, they collected water samples and visual observations from boats and kayaks. Samples were sent to Tshimakain Creek Laboratories to test for water quality indicators like nutrient pollution and E.coli. Volunteers contributed about 500 hours this summer and collected more than 400 new points of data. Results from 2012-’24 are on ICL’s website, and 2025 results will be posted after they pass a quality assurance review.

Overall, water quality in Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River is good. However, the water near the shoreline is designated impaired under the Clean Water Act due to excess phosphorus, which can fuel invasive weeds and toxic algae. First designated in 1994, this impairment persists and the pollution is affirmed by our monitoring results.

Chuck Slough is inundated with toxic algae. People are advised to avoid the water and keep their pets away. Courtesy photo.

Data from the program helps regulators like the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to improve water quality, hold polluters accountable and keep people safe.

For example, extremely high phosphorus in Boyer Slough that was revealed by this program prompted IDEQ to write a cleanup plan, called a Total Maximum Daily Load, and push the Kootenai Ponderay Sewer District to upgrade its facility to meet stricter discharge requirements. The upgrades are due by August 2028. While each of these projects take more time than we would like, they will ultimately be worth it when our water quality improves for the long-term.

Meanwhile, Boyer Slough is inundated with a nuisance algae outbreak, reported for investigation by IDEQ on Sept. 17 by our water monitoring coordinator, Lily Simko. Luckily it tested negative for toxins, and Boyer Slough is not experiencing a repeat of toxic algae like during the summer of 2022.

The biggest pollution contributor in the slough is the Kootenai Ponderay Sewer District, with numerous septic systems also adding to the problem. We again ask the sewer district to refrain from allowing new hookups until plant upgrades are complete. Septic users should ensure systems are functioning properly, with inspections every three to five years.

Chuck Slough, off the Pend Oreille River, has had a toxic algae outbreak since Aug. 7. Homes along this waterbody that rely on septic systems contribute to the problem, and it is where additional polluted water from the proposed Deerfield Subdivision would drain. While the Bonner County board of commissioners recently denied the preliminary plat, that decision was based on lack of floodplain mapping, not septic pollution. No new subdivision should be allowed here if it relies on septic systems for sewage treatment.

This brings me to a final plea for Sandpoint residents: Please vote “yes” this November to approve critical wastewater system upgrades. Sandpoint’s archaic wastewater system is at the brink of catastrophic failure and the upgrades are long overdue. If the bond measure fails, the upgrades will still be required at even greater cost later.

Clean water is not a luxury — it’s a right and a responsibility. Water sustains Idahoans, supports recreation and shapes the landscapes we love. Every Idahoan deserves clean water, reliable infrastructure and accountability from those responsible. At ICL, it is our honor to work to those ends.

Please consider becoming a member today: idahoconservation.org/donate.

Jennifer Ekstrom is North Idaho director of the Idaho Conservation League.