Meet Jamie Brunner, the Coeur d’Alene Lake management supervisor for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Brunner is part of the Our Gem Collaborative, supporting the initiative as a community-based approach to preserving the area's shared natural resources and quality of life.

1. What is the Our Gem Coeur d'Alene Lake Collaborative?

The Our Gem Collaborative is a group of professionals working together to protect the health of Coeur d’Alene Lake. The Collab includes the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the University of Idaho/Idaho Water Resources Research Institute, the Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, Kootenai County, the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Kootenai Environmental Alliance. We share a common goal of getting information to the public and our decision-makers to facilitate informed decision-making that protects lake water quality.

Our umbrella title, “Our Gem Collaborative,” evolved from the original planning group that came together in 2013 to begin developing Our Gem Symposia to share our collective lake management progress with the community. Once COVID hit and we couldn’t put 200+ people in a room for these conversations, we decided to keep the dialogue accessible to the public through regular articles in the Press and speaker series. Our most recent effort to share information was the Love Our Lake Week last week.

2. What drives you to work on natural resource issues in North Idaho?

Like many people in our region, I have always had a love for our natural world — the forests, rivers, and lakes that provide us with the health and quality of life we enjoy here. Since I was a kid, I was always crawling through the creeks, turning over rocks to see the bugs, hiking whenever I got the chance, and just generally being outside. I am driven to do what I can within my capacity to help protect these resources and to spread the word to our community. It’s important that we all participate in protecting the things we value as a community, and we can only do that if we know how.

3. What are some of the biggest issues facing Lake Coeur d'Alene and why do these issues matter?

Increased nutrient levels threaten all surface water bodies with nearby populations. Although nutrients are essential for life, too much of a good thing can be unhealthy. In water quality, phosphorus and nitrogen are significant factors, and humans can drastically increase the amount of these nutrients entering water through everyday activities. Too much nutrient enrichment in water can increase productivity to levels that consume oxygen faster than it can be replenished. Low dissolved oxygen levels can harm organisms that rely on healthy oxygen levels. It can also change the solubility in lakebed sediments, resulting in the release of substances such as metals and phosphorus that would otherwise adhere to soil particles in the presence of higher oxygen levels.

Phosphorus is typically the limiting nutrient in freshwater systems and is often the focus of water quality efforts. It comes from the local geology and soils through erosion and stormwater runoff; it can come from plant decomposition and human and animal waste; and it can be added to the watershed through use of things like fertilizers and detergents. Any time the concentration of people increases, the phosphorus-generating activities naturally increase as well.

While managing phosphorus is a good idea for keeping any lake healthy, we have an added incentive in Coeur d’Alene Lake to do so. Because of historic mining activities, we have over 80 million metric tons of metals-contaminated sediment lying in the lakebed. Lead, zinc, and cadmium from these legacy mining activities like to stick to soil, although they are also present in lower levels dissolved in the water itself. Managing phosphorus is a way to manage dissolved oxygen and keep heavy metals bound to the soil at the bottom of the lake, where harm to wildlife and people can be minimized.

Because the Coeur d’Alene area is such a great place to be, we see a lot of people moving in. This inherently adds pressure on the lake’s health, making the ongoing dialogue about how to participate in lake protection all the more important.

4. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Even though I’ve been in and around water my whole life, and my job revolves around water, I didn’t learn to swim until later in life. I’m not a strong swimmer.

5. What can community members do to help protect Lake Coeur d'Alene and promote its health?

Continue to talk to neighbors and friends! Share information about ways to go about your everyday life with the lake’s health in mind. Share your concerns with your representatives so they know water quality is the community’s priority and should keep it in mind when making decisions on your behalf. Think about ways you can keep phosphorus out of storm drains, road ditches, streams, and lakes (prevent soil erosion and contain sediment that comes loose, pick up after animals, manage yard and garden wastes properly, be mindful of detergent and fertilizer use, clean out septic systems, etc.).

Check out https://iwrri.uidaho.edu/OurGem, https://www.deq.idaho.gov/water-quality/surface-water/coeur-dalene-lake-management/ or call me at 208-666-4623 for more information on how you can help.

• • •

Do you know someone in Kootenai County who makes our community awesome? Send Fast Five suggestions to [email protected] to highlight locals who contribute their time and talents to make North Idaho such a special place.

    Brunner and son Erik.
  

    Brunner