By Christina Lords; Idaho Capital Sun This is an example of a blue-green algae bloom in Boyer Slough on Lake Pend Oreille in August 2021. (Courtesy of Idaho Fish and Game) Idahoans should use caution when recreating in or near the Island Park Reservoir after high amounts of toxin-producing cyanobacteria was recently found in water samples there, according to a press release from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Visit the Idaho Recreational Water Health Advisories tab at the Get Healthy Idaho website for advisories and sampled locations at water bodies throughout Idaho. The toxins can be harmful to people, pets and livestock. The health department works closely with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to identify, respond to, and monitor cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms, known as cyanoHABs. When…
Magic Valley Times-News The Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir has shown an elevated level of cyanotoxin, according to the Department of Environmental Quality, on Monday. A public health advisory has been issued warning people to avoid contact with the water. Discovery of elevated levels of a cyanotoxin — a harmful algal bloom — at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir has prompted the South Central Public Health District to issue a public health advisory. Recent tests from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality shows levels of a cyanotoxin, microcystin, are now at unhealthy levels in the reservoir. Exposure to this toxin can be harmful to people, pets, and livestock. When recreating at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir the public is advised to take the following steps to protect their health: Avoid exposure to water…
By Drew Pendleton; Dept. of Health and Welfare As temperatures increase, so does the likelihood of a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cyanoHAB). CyanoHABs are caused by cyanobacteria, and the toxins they produce are harmful to humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife. CyanoHABs can change and increase rapidly if conditions are right. They favor warm water, sunlight, and specific nutrients in the water. These blooms can last throughout the summer into fall. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) samples and analyzes Idaho water bodies for cyanoHABs. The test results are provided to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) and local public health districts, and they decide if a health advisory should be issued. For information on advisories, visit the DHW’s Idaho Recreational Water Advisories map for more information. The…
By Ruth Brown; Idaho Capital Sun Anderson Ranch Reservoir. The Upper Snake River Basin’s reservoir capacity is nearing its limit as the Portneuf River continues to flood, but the National Weather Service isn’t concerned about spillover from reservoirs in southeast Idaho. Bureau of Reclamation data from Wednesday showed the Henry’s Lake and Grassy Lake reservoirs are at 100% capacity, while most of the reservoirs in the Upper Snake system are between 91 and 98% capacity. Milner Reservoir is only 74% full, and Jackson Lake Reservoir is 71% full. Collectively, the Upper Snake River System is at 88% of capacity, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. There is a minor flood warning in place along the Portneuf River at Pocatello, affecting Bannock County. But Tim Axford, meteorologist at the National Weather…
By Shaun Goodwin; Idaho Statesman Boiseans have been spoiled the past few days with temperatures in the 80s and no rain, but good things never last forever. Starting Thursday and continuing through Saturday afternoon, about half an inch of rain is expected to fall in the city, and high temperatures will drop to the mid-60s over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. “We’re going to be kind of unstable (Thursday) and we could be seeing some thunderstorms,” Chuck Redman, a meteorologist in Boise, told the Idaho Statesman. “And then the main low-pressure system itself, the main weather maker, is going to be coming over us on Friday.” Redman expects a consistent and dreary pattern for Boise, while the mountains north of the Treasure Valley will be subject to…
By Brad Carlson; Capital Press Palisades Reservoir on the Upper Snake River in eastern Idaho. Comstock Upper Snake River managers are watching the basin’s important east side, where headwater areas so far have seen comparatively less benefit from recent Pacific storms. Snowpack to date for the Oct. 1 water year is looking good, but total precipitation in the east is trailing the other smaller sub-basins, said Brian Stevens, area water operations manager for the U.S.Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Snake Field Office in Heyburn, Idaho. “The eastern side of the Upper Snake basin is by far the largest contributor to runoff volumes in the system, and we still need above-average precipitation for the rest of the winter and spring — into late June — to have potential to fill the system,”…
Abstract The private sector is moving forward with many interesting water projects in Idaho, including the following: Cat Creek Water and Energy -- a proposed Pumped Storage Hydro (PHS) project with a 10,000 cfs flow rate and a 100,000 acre-foot off-stream storage reservoir in the upper Boise River Basin. Lost Valley Reservoir Enlargement -- a proposed 20,000 acre-foot enlargement of a 10,000 acrefoot reservoir in the upper Weiser River Basin. Recharge Development Corporation -- private aquifer recharge for credit in a basin. Clean Water Partners -- private cleaning of agricultural drain water for water trading credits. This presentation provides a survey of some of the interesting aspects of these projects, demonstrating the joys of working in the field of water in Idaho. Locations: UI-Moscow @ CNR 14 UI-Boise @ Water Center 250…
By Erin Banks Rusby; Idaho Press Lucky Peak Lake and Lucky Peak Dam are seen from Lucky Peak Reservoir View Point east of Boise on Wednesday. Jake King/Idaho Press BOISE — Recreation enthusiasts are predicted to get more time than originally forecasted to enjoy Lucky Peak, Cascade, and Deadwood reservoirs this year before they are drawn down to meet irrigation demand. Thanks to a cold, wet spring, Lucky Peak is forecast to reach 70% to 75% capacity this summer, said Mike Meyers, watermaster for Water District 63, which takes direction from the Idaho Department of Water Resources. This translates to two extra weeks to enjoy boating and other water sports before additional water from the reservoir will need to start being released for irrigation purposes, pushing the drawdown date to mid-July, he said. In a…
By Elaine Williams; The Lewiston Tribune A reservoir and booster station that will improve fire protection in the area near Lewiston’s high school is moving forward. Lewiston’s City Council awarded a $4.1 million bid for the project to T Bailey Inc., of Anacortes, Wash., at its Monday meeting. The price includes a steel reservoir, potable water booster station, site development and the piping and other parts needed to connect it to the existing water system. Construction is expected to start this year and be finished next spring, said Dustin Johnson, Lewiston’s public works director. Once the upgrade is ready, a building moratorium for the neighborhood around the high school will be lifted, he said. The reservoir will be on city land north of the roundabout at Warner Avenue and 12th…
Idaho Statesman Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, Boise, ID. Much of Southern Idaho, cut through in scythe like fashion by the Snake River Plain, relies on the frozen water stored in the state’s mountains to fill its rivers. When winter ends and summer’s broiling heat arrives, it is these snowy peaks that serve as the state’s reservoir, filling the Salmon, Snake, Big Lost, Boise and other tributaries with cold, clear water. But as the amount of snowfall declines, with scientists citing the effects of climate change as a key contributor, major problems arise for the state’s ecosystems, residents and agriculture industry. And that erosion is already underway. By the turn of the century, Idaho could see reductions of 35%-65% of its snowpack, according to a study published in Nature Reviews…
