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Water quality of the Coeur d'Alene River Basin 1969, 1970 Item Info

The Coeur d'Alene River system of northern Idaho is divided into three components: the North Fork which supports a healthy aquatic community, the South Fork which has received mining and domestic wastes for over 80 years and during which time has been devoid of aquatic life, and the Main Stem which has been affected by the condition of the South Fork. Water samples collected from 34 stations on the Coeur d'Alene River system over a sixteen-month period indicate zinc and cadmium concentrations above toxic limits for fish survival over much of the South Fork and Main Stem; with the exception of fluoride which is high at two stations during low flow, concentrations of most other elements are comparable to or slightly greater than concentrations observed in the North Fork. The water quality data indicate one major source for zinc, cadmium, and fluoride and one less easily identifiable source. High river stage also increases total mass of zinc transported in solution, which suggests a source during high flow in addition to present day mine waste disposal operations. Elimination of the high zinc and cadmium concentrations is considered to be essential to the complete recovery of the river. Basin-wide installation of settling ponds for mill wastes (not for all industrial wastes) by December 1968 has greatly improved the quality of water, particularly with respect to suspended solids. As a result, macrobenthic fauna recently have been discovered in the South Fork and a greater number of species found in the Main Stem, which indicate that the river is beginning to recover. Raw sewage, discharged into the South Fork throughout its reach, is the source of a complex pollution problem. Although the river system has adequate assimilative capacity to handle the present organic load, the effect of the raw sewage on the bacteriological quality of the water is evident.

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Title:
Water quality of the Coeur d'Alene River Basin 1969, 1970
Authors:
Mink, Leland LeRoy
Date Created (ISO Standard):
1971-02
Description:
The Coeur d'Alene River system of northern Idaho is divided into three components: the North Fork which supports a healthy aquatic community, the South Fork which has received mining and domestic wastes for over 80 years and during which time has been devoid of aquatic life, and the Main Stem which has been affected by the condition of the South Fork. Water samples collected from 34 stations on the Coeur d'Alene River system over a sixteen-month period indicate zinc and cadmium concentrations above toxic limits for fish survival over much of the South Fork and Main Stem; with the exception of fluoride which is high at two stations during low flow, concentrations of most other elements are comparable to or slightly greater than concentrations observed in the North Fork. The water quality data indicate one major source for zinc, cadmium, and fluoride and one less easily identifiable source. High river stage also increases total mass of zinc transported in solution, which suggests a source during high flow in addition to present day mine waste disposal operations. Elimination of the high zinc and cadmium concentrations is considered to be essential to the complete recovery of the river. Basin-wide installation of settling ponds for mill wastes (not for all industrial wastes) by December 1968 has greatly improved the quality of water, particularly with respect to suspended solids. As a result, macrobenthic fauna recently have been discovered in the South Fork and a greater number of species found in the Main Stem, which indicate that the river is beginning to recover. Raw sewage, discharged into the South Fork throughout its reach, is the source of a complex pollution problem. Although the river system has adequate assimilative capacity to handle the present organic load, the effect of the raw sewage on the bacteriological quality of the water is evident.
Subjects:
water quality heavy metals mine wastes sewage
Location:
Coeur d'Alene Basin
Latitude:
47.52
Longitude:
-116.56
Collection:
Coeur d'Alene Basin
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
Publisher:
University of Idaho
Contributing Institution:
University of Idaho
Type:
Text
Format:
application/pdf
Cataloger:
wbv
Date Digitized:
2012

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Source
Preferred Citation:
"Water quality of the Coeur d'Alene River Basin 1969, 1970", Idaho Waters Digital Library, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iwdl/items/iwdl-cda_mink_1971.html
Rights
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
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