LAKE PEND OREILLE WATERSHED PROGRAMS LAKE NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
PLAN Following in the footsteps of the Voluntary Nutrient
Reduction Program (VNRP) for the Clark Fork River in Montana,
the Council is moving its nutrient reduction effort downstream
to Idaho's Pend Oreille Lake. Pend Oreille Lake, with a maximum
depth of 1200 feet, is the fifth largest natural freshwater lake
in the United States. Inflow from Montana's Clark Fork River
heavily influences water quality in the deep, open waters of the
lake, which have remained relatively clean and constant over the
past 50 years. However, water quality in the shallow near-shore
areas of the lake is beginning to decline due to development and
human activities around the lake. Increased nutrient loading
from residential development, septic tanks and stormwater runoff
has caused increased and nuisance levels of algae and aquatic
weed growth in these near-shore areas. The Council began work
with Region 10 of the U.S. EPA , the Idaho Department of
Environmental Quality (