Idaho Section of the American Water Resources Association (IDAWRA)
Tuesday, May 7, 2019, Lower Boise River Watershed Council 319 program
Speaker: Dan Steenson, Director, Lower Boise Watershed Council
11:30 am – 1:00 pm (Presentation starts at 11:45pm)
Location: 2nd floor Conference Room, Banner Bank Building, 950 W Bannock Street, Boise, ID 83702
The Lower Boise Watershed drains 1,290 square miles of rangeland, forests, agricultural lands, and urban areas. The Lower Boise River itself is a 64-mile stretch that originates at Lucky Peak Dam to the east of Boise, and flows northwesterly through Ada and Canyon counties through the cities of Boise, Eagle, and Caldwell, Idaho. The river then flows into the Snake River near Parma, Idaho at the Idaho-Oregon border. Certain reaches of the mainstem lower Boise River and some of its tributaries are impaired by pollutants, including sediment, phosphorus, and elevated temperatures. In addition, uses in the downstream Snake River are impaired primarily by phosphorous, sediment, and bacteria some of which are delivered from the lower Boise River. The Idaho DEQ has developed, and EPA has approved, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) processes for these pollutants.
The Council is overseen by a Board of Directors and is a registered non-profit organization. The Directors represent municipalities, agriculture, industry, stormwater system owners, environmental interests, and others. All of these stakeholders are working to implement the TMDLs in our watershed. One area in which the Council is focused on reducing sediment, bacteria, and phosphorous by administering state and federal 319 grant programs. These are cost-sharing programs, available primarily to agricultural owners and operators in Canyon County to implement non-point source control management practices. The Council administers these grants jointly with the Canyon Soil Conservation District, with assistance from NRCS and ISCC. Over the last 10 years, the Council has administered $1.8 million in grants plus at least an equal amount of match dollars to support more than 25 projects.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019, Lower Boise River Watershed Council 319 program
Speaker: Dan Steenson, Director, Lower Boise Watershed Council
11:30 am – 1:00 pm (Presentation starts at 11:45pm)
Location: 2nd floor Conference Room, Banner Bank Building, 950 W Bannock Street, Boise, ID 83702
The Lower Boise Watershed drains 1,290 square miles of rangeland, forests, agricultural lands, and urban areas. The Lower Boise River itself is a 64-mile stretch that originates at Lucky Peak Dam to the east of Boise, and flows northwesterly through Ada and Canyon counties through the cities of Boise, Eagle, and Caldwell, Idaho. The river then flows into the Snake River near Parma, Idaho at the Idaho-Oregon border. Certain reaches of the mainstem lower Boise River and some of its tributaries are impaired by pollutants, including sediment, phosphorus, and elevated temperatures. In addition, uses in the downstream Snake River are impaired primarily by phosphorous, sediment, and bacteria some of which are delivered from the lower Boise River. The Idaho DEQ has developed, and EPA has approved, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) processes for these pollutants.
The Council is overseen by a Board of Directors and is a registered non-profit organization. The Directors represent municipalities, agriculture, industry, stormwater system owners, environmental interests, and others. All of these stakeholders are working to implement the TMDLs in our watershed. One area in which the Council is focused on reducing sediment, bacteria, and phosphorous by administering state and federal 319 grant programs. These are cost-sharing programs, available primarily to agricultural owners and operators in Canyon County to implement non-point source control management practices. The Council administers these grants jointly with the Canyon Soil Conservation District, with assistance from NRCS and ISCC. Over the last 10 years, the Council has administered $1.8 million in grants plus at least an equal amount of match dollars to support more than 25 projects.