Water Quality Studies and Reports
The quality of Idaho's water bodies has long been a topic of interest among scientists, as evidenced by the nearly 200 reports accessible on the pages below.
DEQ Water Quality Status Reports
Government agencies have a long history of developing status reports on pollution problems in Idaho water bodies. The first in this series of more than 100 reports dates back to 1952 when a biologist for the US Public Health Service reported on an analysis of bottom fauna in collections from the Clearwater and Snake Rivers. Subsequent reports address pollution problems in Bear Lake; Cascade Reservoir; Dry, Rock, and Indian Creeks; and numerous other creeks, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers across Idaho and offer recommendations for improving water quality. View the reports here.
DEQ Water Quality Summary Reports
More than two decades of reports from 1980–2003 summarizing water quality in various creeks, rivers, and lakes are compiled on this page. The reports are aimed at determining the impact of point and nonpoint sources on water quality in the water bodies studied, assessing and documenting the existing conditions, and encouraging the use of best management practices to improve water quality to fully support beneficial uses. View the reports here.
Water Body Studies and Plans
More recent studies of water bodies in Idaho are available on this page. Documents include use attainability analyses, case studies on temperature criteria, and other scholarly reports on key water body-specific topics. Outstanding resource water reports to the Idaho legislature are also compiled on this page. View the reports here.
Note: Reports on these pages are also accessible by geographic area on DEQ's Regional Office pages.