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Draft TMDL Proposed for Coeur d'Alene Basin
Release Date: 4/15/1999
Contact Information: Bill Riley
riley.william@epamail.epa.gov
(206) 553-1412
April 15, 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 99-19
For Immediate Release
As part of an ongoing effort to protect water quality in Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene River Basin, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality are jointly proposing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL to reduce lead, zinc and cadmium pollution in the South Fork and Mainstem Coeur d’Alene River, Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River. Metals contamination has impacted fisheries and other aquatic resources in the Basin.
According to Randy Smith, Director of EPA’s Water Quality Division in Seattle, the release of today's proposed TMDL marks the culmination of a cooperative process between EPA, the State, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.
"Everybody agrees that metals contamination in the Basin's creeks and rivers is a major environmental problem," Smith said. "The agencies don't have all the answers to this very complex challenge, but this proposal is an important step forward in mapping out a remedy."
TMDLs are pollution reduction plans or "budgets" that are required under the Clean Water Act. A TMDL allocates prescribed amounts of pollution that various sources can contribute to a river, lake or stream. A TMDL helps drive protection efforts for water bodies that don't meet state water quality standards. Such standards are adopted by states, tribes and the federal government to protect the "beneficial uses" of a water body and generally include: drinking water supply, fish and shellfish propagation, recreation and wildlife habitat. Following public comment and EPA approval, the final TMDL is expected to set targets for cleanup actions in the Basin.
Providing Public Comment
If you would like to comment on the proposed TMDL, you may write to EPA and DEQ at the following address:
Director, EPA Office of Water
and
Administrator, Idaho DEQ
c/o DEQ Regional Office
2110 Ironwood Parkway
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814
and
Administrator, Idaho DEQ
c/o DEQ Regional Office
2110 Ironwood Parkway
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814
All written comments must be received by EPA and DEQ by June 15, 1999 to be considered in final decisions. Your comments should include your name, address, and daytime telephone number.
Public Meetings
Public meetings have been scheduled in Wallace on Tuesday, May 18 at the Wallace Inn (Gold Room) and in Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday, May 19 at the Lake City Senior Center. Both meetings will be held from 6 to 8 pm. EPA and DEQ will present information on the TMDL, followed by questions and answers from the audience.
If there is sufficient public interest in a formal hearing on the proposed TMDL, expressed to EPA and DEQ in writing within the next 30 days, a hearing will be held immediately following the second informational meeting in Coeur d’Alene.
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