PRIEST RIVER — Idaho Department of Environmental Quality officials discussed what steps the agency would be taking to aid local conservation groups in their mission to designate upper and lower Priest Lake as an Outstanding Resource Water at a meeting last week.

Todd Higens, a watershed analyst for DEQ, said the department was collecting data, which would assess the water quality of the lakes. If the waters were to earn that designation, Higens said the lakes would earn further protection for its water quality. 

In order to become an Outstanding Resource Water, the lakes’ beneficial uses must first be deemed fully supporting of the local environment. DEQ is in the middle of conducting a survey of the lakes’ quality and has not released any official verdict on the quality. 

However, Higens said, based off unofficial data, the water quality is excellent.  

"After we assess the lake and determine what its support status is, determine if it’s polluted by any identifiable source and we officially call it a health lake; they want to go after that designation,” Higens said. “Because it gives a little stronger nonpoint source protection, in theory.” 

Higens said in the current state budget crunch, DEQ staffing and budget is limited to complete the data and lab work for upper and lower Priest Lake. 

"It’s the tale as old as time challenge with any state government,” Higens said. “Usually, our staffing and levels of funding can make it challenging for us to get out there and actually collect all the data that’s necessary.” 

Currently, Idaho does not have any bodies of water that have earned the ORW designation. Higens said residents and advocacy groups have attempted to give Priest Lake the status before in the 1990s but were unsuccessful. 

“It’s a tough task to get completed because you have to get a lot of local stakeholder involvement and buy-in,” Higens said.  

Robert Steed, Surface Water Quality manager, said the state has been focused on working on its already polluted waters, rather than waters that are clean, like Priest Lake. 

"We really have not worked to this level yet on how to protect the best of our water,” Steed said. 

At the meeting of the Priest River Subbasin Watershed Advisory Group, Higens also provided updates about DEQ’s required 5-year review for multiple plans surrounding the bodies of water. Higens said these meetings, review and designations are required by Idaho’s Clean Water Act responsibilities. 

With the local groups pushing for designation, Higens said he expects there to be more meetings in the near future. In an email sent out, Higens said he expects the next meeting of the advisory group to take place in June.   

“We’re probably going to have lots of upcoming meetings in the future, if we’re going to be going through the process of looking at the lake,” Higens said. “We’re going to need lots of input from the stakeholders so keep an eye out for announcements for upcoming meetings.”