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Historic mining activities near Coeur d’Alene Lake in Northern Idaho have contaminated millions of tons of lake sediments with metals. Since enacting environmental regulations in the mid-1970s, metal concentrations in the lake have declined. However, shoreline development, land-use changes within the basin, and other dynamics could reverse this success by increasing nutrient loading that could release metals bound to lake sediments. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Kootenai County, and EPA, with the support of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, have asked the National Academies to analyze data and information about lake water quality and provide recommendations to address issues of concern.
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The Future of Water Quality in Coeur d'Alene Lake
Consensus Study Report
·2022
Coeur d'Alene Lake in northern Idaho is an invaluable natural, recreational, and economic resource for communities in Idaho and eastern Washington. Starting in the late 1880s, mining in the Lake's watershed sent heavy metals and other mining wastes into the Lake, resulting in contamination of lake s...
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