De-listing questioned
SANDPOINT — A proposal to remove the Pend Oreille River from a list of Idaho waters impaired by phosphorus is generating concern among water quality watchdogs.
The de-listing is contemplated in the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s 2010 integrated report, a water quality status report required by the federal government every two years.
The report serves as a guide for DEQ’s management of water quality and provides an opportunity for the public to learn about the status of surface waters and submit comments.
The deadline to comment on the draft integrated report is Monday, Nov. 29.
“There’s still time to bone up on it,” said Tom Herron, DEQ’s Panhandle region water quality manager. “You might have to sacrifice a football game or two this weekend, but you’ll be in good shape to enter comments.”
Phosphorus, an ecosystem pollutant responsible for algae growth, was added as a cause of impairment in the Pend Oreille in DEQ’s 2008 integrated report. But monitoring in 2009 undermined the 2008 finding and did not reveal any evidence that total phosphorus was interfering with beneficial uses of the river.
As a result, DEQ seeks to remove total phosphorus as a cause of impairment, although the department plans to continue evaluating conditions in the river.
Robert Steed, a surface water ecologist at DEQ, said the 2008 phosphorus listing was influenced by 2005 Tri-State Water Quality Council monitoring which had samples showing excessive levels of phosphorus and indications that the levels were on the rise. The department was also receiving permit requests for large soil-absorption septic systems on the south side of the river.
The phosphorus levels in the river are so low that accurately measuring them can be troublesome, Steed said. However, he conceded it’s likely that phosphorus levels were exceeded in 2005.
The department conducted its own monitoring of the river last year and it indicated that phosphorus levels were not high enough to justify the impairment listing.
“What’s the explanation for the difference? I think that climatic (changes) might be a big explanation,” said Steed.
But Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper, a water quality advocacy group, questions whether 2009 was a truly representative year because of high precipitation and high runoff, which could have skewed DEQ’s findings.
Jennifer Ekstrom, the group’s executive director, displayed photos which showed algae-fouled sections of shoreline.
“Are those beneficial uses being met in reality, on the ground, this year, in 2010? As a casual observer, it does not appear that they are,” Ekstrom said.
Waterkeeper, which arranged Tuesday’s meeting with DEQ, is concerned that the de-listing for phosphorus would result in more pollution loading.
“The ramifications, ultimately, of de-listing the river for phosphorus is that it opens it up for new sources to be permitted to enter the river,” said Ekstrom.
The Idaho Conservation League has also urged DEQ to conduct further phosphorus monitoring before de-listing it as an impairment.
But DEQ stands by the results of the 2009 monitoring, the results of which were subjected to a quality-control analysis and peer reviewed. Steed said that the monitoring “is the first assessment that DEQ did that has data that is rigorous enough that we feel comfortable enough with the status call we’re making.”
Steed added that if phosphorus re-emerges as a serious concern, it could be listed as an impairment in the 2012 integrated report.
After the public comment period concludes, the integrated report would be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval. The report could also remanded back to DEQ for further review.
• The integrated report can be downloaded from DEQ’s website (www.deq.idaho.gov). The comment deadline is 4 p.m. on Nov. 29. Direct comments to Nicole Deinarowicz, Idaho DEQ, Water Quality Division, 1410 North Hilton, Boise, ID. 83706. They can be faxed to (208) 373-0576 or e-mailed to nicole.deinarowicz@deq.idaho.gov.