Budget Woes Reduce Idaho Water Quality Monitoring

LEWISTON, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has ended a partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct water quality monitoring of streams, lakes and rivers throughout the state.

Gwen Fransen, an administrator with the state agency, said the agency didn't have the money to continue the agreement.

"Historically, we had entered into a cooperative agreement with them for monitoring," Fransen said. "We had to discontinue that agreement because of our budget shortfall."

The department late last year held onto $117,000 and backed out of the cost-share program with the federal agency.

Fransen said the U.S. Geological Survey will continue to do water quality monitoring in the state, and the state agency will monitor high-priority projects. But not as much will get done without the agreement, she said.

Fransen said the state is required every two years to write a water quality status report under the federal Clean Water Act.

"If we can't resume the monitoring we have had to suspend, we are going to have to figure out a different strategy for completing that report in 2012," Fransen said.

Ending the agreement means the state is giving up federal money, said Justin Hayes of the Idaho Conservation League.

"DEQ puts money in a pot and USGS does the work," he said. "That relationship came to a crashing halt. We are leaving a lot of federal money on the table."

He also said the lack of data could make it more difficult for businesses that want to move to Idaho, particularly those that need a permit to discharge effluents.

"You end up in a situation where industry wants permits and won't be able to get them because there is not enough money to process the permits," Hayes said.

Fransen said that the business seeking the permit would have to do the background water monitoring. Fransen said the state and federal Environmental Protection Agency would confirm the business did the monitoring.