Appreciating North Idaho’s great lakes

By Jennifer Ekstrom Reader Contributor

North Idaho is blessed with so many big, beautiful lakes that we may at times forget to appreciate all they provide us. But with the month of July being “Lakes Appreciation Month,” it is a perfect time to reflect on all they give: delightful recreation, aesthetic beauty, drinking water, fire safety, fish to catch, irrigation for gardens and crops, water for all our needs, places for children to play and a place to dump our sewage.

Yes, you read that last one right. After all the life-giving and soul-nourishing benefits we receive from our lakes, we give them back the ultimate gift in return: our waste. While this practice may seem appalling, it’s actually common. And if the waste discharge is appropriately treated before release, our lakes can remain swimmable, fishable and drinkable for all.

Unfortunately, most of our sewage treatment plants and many private septic systems are old, overburdened and not functioning properly. When the discharge from these systems is combined with other pollution sources and the right — or wrong — temperatures, we see negative impacts like toxic algae, invasive weeds, slimy

< LTE, con’t from Page 8 > it will also include a new splash park and current, updated equipment.

The question might also be rephrased: “Where will the grandparents play tennis and pickle in the winter time?” and, not only those two sports but basketball and other court sports. K.L. Huntley failed to bring out those points. Maybe an editor should have pointed out a few of those facts. Travers Park will also include a needed 21st-century skate park and bike park for teens, etc.

As a grandparent and taxpayer, I fully support the much-needed improvements to Travers Park. And not overlooking the substantial gift to “all” the citizens of Sandpoint regardless of wealth or income.

Thank you,

Bill Preuss Sandpoint

rocks, bad smells and gross-looking pools that no one would want to (or should) jump in.

Take Boyer Slough for example, where waste from the Kootenai Ponderay Sewer District is discharged before passing through the Whiskey Jack community and then flowing into Kootenai Bay on Lake Pend Oreille.

Boyer Slough is one of 15 locations where the Idaho Conservation League monitors water quality. Our volunteer water stewards collect water samples that are then analyzed at a laboratory. We test the water for pollution that feeds algae and weeds, like nitrogen and phosphorus, which can come from sewage as well as other sources like soil disturbance, fertilizers and soaps.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has developed a pollution clean-up plan for the area of Lake Pend Oreille that is near the shoreline and most susceptible to pollution. The plan, called the nearshore total maximum daily load (TMDL), has a goal for phosphorus concentration to be nine micrograms per liter or less, so that the lake can continue to provide us with opportunities for use and enjoyment.

Unfortunately, in May of this year, we found the total phosphorus concentration to be 2,930

‘Individual sovereignty’…

Dear editor, micrograms per liter in Boyer Slough. While those numbers fall considerably later in the summer when the sewage treatment plant begins to apply the waste to land and trees rather than discharging it into the water, they still typically reach upward of hundreds of micrograms per liter — consistently well above the nine-microgram-per-liter target that would ensure we can enjoy and utilize the water.

When the conservative majority Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade it was followed almost immediately by GOP-controlled states implementing draconian anti-abortion laws, thus denying women sovereignty over their own bodies.

Meanwhile, those same GOP-controlled states passed legislation that denied medical treatment to much of the LBGTQ+ community. More denial of individual sovereignty.

Meanwhile nationally, in the GOP-controlled House, the members of the Freedom Caucus have inserted “poison pills” in the defense budget to stop the military from paying travel expenses for medical treatment that might involve getting an abortion. More personal sovereignty lost.

Despite the egregious pollution issues already occurring in this waterbody, Kootenai Ponderay Sewer District continues to allow new apartments, homes and businesses to connect to their facility. ICL is asking the district to stop adding new hook-ups until Boyer Slough meets water quality targets.

Along with working on shortterm solutions, ICL is invested in this clean-up effort for the long run. We are participating in a Kootenai Bay Watershed Advisory Group, which aims to clean up this highly polluted area of Lake Pend Oreille. The group, which was convened by the IDEQ, also includes a representative of the sewer district. We are hopeful that together, we can write a new plan that restores this waterway to a swimmable, fishable, drinkable condition — especially as new challenges lie ahead.

Then the court said “no” to student loan forgiveness. This results in thousands being mired in debt for decades just for getting an education.

Next came overturning the Affirmative Action guidelines. This leads to it being harder for minorities to enter many colleges and universities.

The above leads me to believe that the entire GOP leadership, nationwide, has now managed to alienate a significant number of women, minorities, medical professionals, librarians, teachers, family and friends of those in the LBGTQ+ community, and many serving in our military.

It amazes me that the “Grand Old Party,” which frequently and loudly touts “freedom,” spends so much time and energy denying freedoms to so many Americans just

Our lakes in North Idaho give us so much. And whether you live on the lake or not, you impact its health — storm drains still carry the run-off from your property directly into the lake. So, in honor of Lakes Appreciation Month, let’s all give back to these precious resources by following the tips below:

• Avoid disturbing the soil near the shoreline. In Bonner County there is a minimum 40-foot setback required where buildings are not allowed and retaining native vegetation is recommended.

• Don’t over-fertilize your lawn and garden. If you use fertilizer, choose a phosphorus-free variety. Phosphorus is fuel for algae and aquatic weeds and can make them grow out of control — making our water unsafe.

• Keep leaves and other yard debris away from the shoreline and storm drains.

• Don’t let oils, chemicals, dirt and other pollutants spill into the water or storm drains.

• Observe no wake zones. Be aware that waves from boats can agitate sediment on the shoreline, pulling phosphorus into the water.

• Do what you can to divert stormwater so the ground soaks it up before it runs into the lake.

• If you have a septic system, to maintain and enhance its control over the American people.

All of this without even mentioning voting rights. That’s another attack on individual sovereignty. Appears that the only “freedoms” that the GOP’s leadership is in favor of is its own.

Gil Beyer Sandpoint

In favor of the open primary…

Dear editor,

Every eligible Idaho voter should have the right to vote. The Idaho Open Primaries Initiative will hopefully be on the ballot in November 2024. Currently, there are plans to get enough signatures to get this important initiative on the ballot.

Unfortunately, there are individuals and groups who are threatened by this initiative. They want to stay make sure it is operating correctly. Panhandle Health District recommends having systems inspected every three years. in power and are claiming Idaho voters are not smart enough to vote in an open primary.

• Call Kootenai Ponderay Sewer District at 208-263-0229 and ask them to suspend new hook-ups until water quality targets are met in Boyer Slough.

• Take action to prevent toxic algae, visit takeaction.idahoconservation.org/cHmYrdu.

It’s critical that we appreciate and protect our great lakes of North Idaho. Thank you for doing your part.

Jennifer Ekstrom is North Idaho Lakes Conservation associate at Idaho Conservation League.

The open primary system has been successful in the states of Alaska and Maine, and I don’t believe those voters are any smarter than Idaho voters.

Why would anyone be against the right to vote? While it is true that many countries ruled by dictators do not allow people to vote, it is our constitutional right in Idaho to vote.

Please educate yourself about the open primary initiative and please join me in signing the petition to get this very important initiative on the ballot for November 2024.

Thank you,

Steve Johnson Sagle