WRIA 62 WMP 032305 - Washington State Department of Ecology

March, 2005 -88- 023-1289-003.3040
In the second part of the process, a sub-basin assessment is conducted to determine pollutant sources
in the 303(d) listed waters, and IDEQ gathers additional data to supplement the initial assessment.
After this period of further study, the water body is de-listed (if beneficial uses are not impaired), or a
TMDL is developed to restore the impaired water body.
In Idaho, when a sampling station deems a stream impaired, all locations upstream in the watershed
are also considered impaired. Therefore, if a fourth order stream location is found to be impaired, all
fourth order streams in the watershed would be listed as impaired. If a first order stream is considered
impaired, a TMDL would be needed for the entire watershed. This differs from Washington where a
stream is listed on the 303(d) within the section of a township and range where the sample(s)
indicating the exceedance was taken.
Water quality impairments in the Pend Oreille drainage in Idaho include temperature, sediment,
dissolved oxygen, total dissolved gas, and pathogens. The 1998 and draft 2000/2003 303(d) listed
waterbodies are illustrated on Figure 4-7 and 4-8.
5.2.4 TMDLs in Idaho
There are currently six approved sediment TMDLs and one approved temperature TMDL in streams
within the Priest River watershed that have the potential to impact water quality downstream in
WRIA 62 (Figure 4-6 and Table 4-6). These TMDLs are:
• Sediment for Reeder Creek, Kalispel Creek, Binarch Creek, Lower West Branch Priest
River, the East River watershed and the Lower Priest River; and,
• Temperature for the East River watershed.
In addition, the following TMDLs are planned in the near future:
• Temperature for Hughes Fork, Granite Creek, Reeder Creek, Kalispel Creek, Binarch
Creek, Lower West Branch Priest River and the Lower Priest River; and,
• Sediment, temperature and total dissolved gas for the Pend Oreille River (from Lake
Pend Oreille to the Washington – Idaho border).
The total dissolved gas (TDG) issues for the Clark Fork - Pend Oreille system in Idaho are primarily
being addressed, at the current time, through implementation of the Gas Supersaturation Control
Program for the Clark Fork Project (Avista, 2004). This TDG program focuses on operations of the
Cabinet Gorge Hydroelectric Development, eight miles upstream of Pend Oreille Lake. In 2005,
Idaho DEQ will initiate a sub-basin assessment and TMDL effort for the Pend Oreille River. TDG
issues will be examined as they pertain to the Albeni Falls Hydroelectric Project and river conditio ns
between Albeni Falls and the Idaho - Washington state line.
WRIA 62 WMP 032305