By Amanda Parrish & James Probus (Whitworth ‘20)
Lake Coeur d’Alene has long been one of Idaho’s most beautiful natural areas; from resorts and golf courses to watersports and wildlife viewing, Coeur d’Alene offers all manor of recreation. Additionally, the lake is also the headwaters for the Spokane River. Although the lake is regarded as a jewel of Idaho now, it hasn’t always been well treated. Historic mining operations east of the lake allowed massive amounts of toxic tailings to flow into the lake, contaminating it with metals such as arsenic, lead and cadmium. Over the years, 75 million tons worth of these metals sank to the bottom of the lake, where they cannot be removed or dissipated. Lake Coeur d’Alene would not be in danger if the metals had no way of moving vertically into the water we play in and drink, but a human-caused change in the water chemistry is making it likely that the toxic metals will rise from the lake’s sediment and contaminate the water.
This phenomena is called eutrophication, and it occurs when unusual amounts of nutrients enter a body of water and throw its natural rhythms off balance. Waters experiencing eutrophication see accelerated plant and algal growth due to the increase in nutrients. Unfortunately, the oxygen that plants produce makes it easier for the metals to be drawn out of the sediment and move upward. Several studies indicate that Lake Coeur d’Alene is experiencing eutrophication at a rapidly increasing rate, and much of the problem is caused by farm and lawn fertilizers rich in phosphorus and other nutrients- these chemicals leak into the lake when used near the water and contribute to eutrophication.
The good news is there is still time to solve this problem! The EPA is preparing to review the progress that's been made on cleanup around Lake Coeur d'Alene. Now is the time to speak up and tell the EPA that you want a comprehensive cleanup plan and direct EPA funds to clean up Lake Coeur d'Alene. Send your comments here: https://p2a.co/SH2c102 and remember that comments are due by April 30th.