THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Water Science and Technology Board
Committee on the Future of Water Quality in Coeur d’Alene Lake
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Congressional Briefing
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 – 10:45 a.m.
via Zoom
on
The Future of Water Quality in Coeur d'Alene Lake
This new report, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, analyzes water quality data collected from the Coeur d’Alene Lake and the watershed over the past 30 years. The analyses indicate that, although the Lake is still heavily contaminated, concentrations of metals in the major inputs to the Lake have declined, and there is no evidence that phosphorus concentrations have been increasing in the last decade or that low-oxygen events are becoming more common. However, the shorelines of the Lake, where exposure to metals or harmful algae is more likely, are not currently monitored. Protecting the water quality of Coeur d'Alene Lake will require that monitoring efforts be expanded to provide an early warning of deteriorating conditions, regular syntheses of data, and targeted studies—all coordinated among interest groups—followed by application of those results to managing the Lake.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on September 30, 2022 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.