Make a difference as a water quality steward

By Karissa Huntsman
Reader Contributor

Water levels on Lake Pend Oreille began rising on April 1, signaling that summer is on its way. Living in a lake town is a lifestyle that can’t be beat. After work, I can drive five minutes to meet friends for a swim or have dinner literally on the water at the Float House in Hope. With this luxury, though, comes responsibility. In my position at the Idaho Conservation League, I have learned so much about water quality and the responsibility we all have to be good stewards of it. Through actions small and large, anyone can be a water quality steward — together, we can protect our local lakes, streams and rivers from various forms of pollution. 

Good stewardship can start from the comfort of your own home. You can be a steward by using phosphorus-free fertilizer on your lawn. A lot of stormwater and runoff eventually makes its way into the lake. When met with nitrogen and warm water temperatures, excessive phosphorus is fuel for toxic algae and invasive aquatic weeds, and can make them grow out of control — often making our waters unsafe for people and pets.

You can be a steward by getting your septic tank checked regularly and making sure it is operating correctly. A failing septic system can contaminate well water and nearby bodies of water, posing human health risks. The Panhandle Health District recommends having systems inspected every three years.

You can be a steward by speaking up against threats to our clean water. From historic mining pollution to inappropriate development, our North Idaho waterways face an array of threats. 

Thousands of community members have acted as stewards of our waters by speaking out to protect Trestle Creek from a proposal by The Idaho Club to build a luxury private marina. These stewards submitted comments to the Idaho Department of Lands in opposition to the development that would harm critical fish habitat, clean water and one-of-a-kind recreation opportunities. Their voices made a difference. 

Thanks to community members taking action, IDL recently notified the developer they must withdraw their application and reapply if they still wish to pursue the marina. 

You can be a steward by voting in support of water quality. Boyer Slough — the point of discharge for the Kootenai Ponderay Sewer District for half of the year — often has extremely high levels of phosphorus. The wastewater treatment plant is in desperate need of upgrades. While the district was successful in a grant application of $13 million, voters will need to approve the remaining funding needed for the upgrades through a bond measure. 

If you live in Kootenai or Ponderay, be a steward by voting in favor of the bond on the May ballot. Nothing is more important for our community than having clean water to drink.

Lastly, you can be an official water quality steward by joining the Idaho Conservation League’s Water Quality Monitoring Program. 

You may have read articles about this program before by me, or my colleague Jennifer Ekstrom. We are pretty passionate about it. Dedicated volunteers make this program possible by dedicating their time to monitor water quality at stations across Lake Pend Oreille monthly from May through September. Each sample collected throughout the summer is sent to a nearby lab and tested for water quality indicators like temperature, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and E. coli, to name a few. 

Additionally, these stewards serve as extra sets of eyes and ears for our land and waters, letting us know if they see trash in the waterways, growth of noxious weeds, signs of toxic algae or evidence of poorly managed shoreline development. 

By tracking these various indicators of water quality, we can better understand what factors are impacting Lake Pend Oreille — and take action to protect and restore this beloved lake. 

Science and data aside, my favorite part of this program is getting to know our stewards. Each comes to us with unique interests and perspectives that positively contribute to the program’s overall success. I am continuously inspired by their dedication to the community and the natural resources that we all benefit from. 

Join our group of award-winning volunteers and spend a few days this summer monitoring water quality on Lake Pend Oreille. Volunteer training sessions will be held on Wednesdays, May 1 and May 8 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Windbag Marina at City Beach. 

Attending a training is not a commitment to being a steward, so if you are interested we encourage you to attend, learn how the sampling works and meet our returning volunteers. Sign up at idahocl.org/wqstewards to learn more. 

Whether you join the program or not, consider how your actions impact water quality. We all benefit from a swimmable, fishable and drinkable lake, and it takes each of us acting as stewards to ensure it remains that way. When we work together, as stewards, we can make sure that living in a lake town stays a lifestyle that can’t be beat.

Karissa Huntsman is the Water Quality Monitoring Program organizer for Idaho Conservation League.