ICL gears up for the 2026 water quality monitoring season! Join us!
Spring is in full bloom here in Sandpoint, which means summer is just around the corner, and the Idaho Conservation League is gearing up for another season of water quality monitoring!
We are seeking water quality stewards for the 2026 season of monitoring on Lake Pend Oreille. If you are interested in becoming a water quality steward, please sign up here!
ICL’s water quality monitoring program (WQMP) is a consistent, long-term monitoring effort to measure water quality across Lake Pend Oreille. The program is a citizen-science initiative led by dedicated community volunteers, known as water quality stewards. The program’s goals are to inform the public of the water quality in the lake and to provide high-quality scientific data that regulatory agencies can use when making decisions for our local waterways. Regular monitoring has established baseline levels for a range of parameters that are indicators of water quality, and allows ICL to detect changes and potential threats to water quality in our lake.
This summer will be ICL’s fifth year managing the program, and the program's 15th year overall! Stations are monitored monthly from June through September. We currently have 13 sample stations throughout the lake and tributaries. Each station is selected through collaboration with Idaho DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality). The agency then uses our data to make management decisions that protect water quality. Over 5800 data points have been collected throughout the program's existence. Each water sample collected is tested for an array of physical, chemical and biological data, including phosphorus, nitrogen, e.coli, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and temperature. Together, these serve as indicators of the health of our lake.
Beyond collecting water samples, stewards also serve as ICL’s eyes and ears out on the lake, looking for problems like algae, invasive weeds, trash, and other indicators of water quality. We are very grateful to our water quality stewards, many of whom return year after year to continue protecting our lake and collecting samples. The program would not be possible without our dedicated stewards.
This year, our training sessions will be held at Windbag Marina on Tuesday, May 19th, and Tuesday, May 26th, from 5:30-7 pm. Attending a training session is not a commitment to be a water steward, but water stewards must attend a training session annually, so we encourage you to attend, learn, and discover if you’d like to volunteer with us this summer!
The water quality monitoring program is a vital part of ICL’s broader North Idaho Lakes and Waters Program, which focuses on protecting water quality and keeping our waters swimmable, fishable and drinkable, from Lewiston to Bonners Ferry.
Sign up for North Idaho Lakes and Waters updates here!
