Department of
Environmental Quality

• Map and Directions to DEQ's Coeur d'Alene Regional Office
• Google Map Search

The Coeur d'Alene Region is the northernmost of DEQ's six regions and encompasses the counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone. The region is home to 13.8% of the state's population and is growing rapidly. Among its many assets are three large lakes - Coeur d'Alene, Priest, and Pend Oreille, a host of smaller lakes, Silverwood Theme Park, and Schweitzer and Silver Mountain ski areas. As such, it is a major tourist destination. The region's principal industries include agriculture, timber, mining, and recreation.

Air Quality Plans & Reports

DEQ's Coeur d'Alene Regional Office monitors air quality at four locations in the state's northernmost counties. Summary reports on air pollutant levels are compiled monthly and posted here.

Basin-Watershed Advisory Groups

Basin and Watershed Advisory Groups, BAGs and WAGs, are panels of citizens that advise DEQ on water quality objectives and provide input and guidance on development of water quality improvement plans for specific watershed within DEQ's Coeur d'Alene Region. Learn more.

• Panhandle Basin Advisory Group (BAG)
• Black Lake Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• Coeur d'Alene Lake Tributaries Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• Fish Creek Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• Kootenai and Moyie Rivers Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• Lower Clark Fork River Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• North Fork Coeur d'Alene River Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• Pend Oreille River and Tributaries Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• Priest River Subbasin Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• St. Joe and St. Maries Rivers Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)
• Upper Hangman Creek Watershed Advisory Group (WAG)

Bunker Hill Superfund Site

The Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Site is located in Northern Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene River Basin. It became a Superfund site in 1983 as a result of metals contamination from historic mining operations in the Silver Valley. The site covers parts of northern Idaho and eastern Washington and is divided into three areas: the 21-square-mile “Box” populated area, the Box non-populated area, and the Coeur d’Alene Basin. Learn more.

• Extent of the Bunker Hill Superfund Site Cleanup
• Records of Decision
• Basin Property Remediation Program
• Idaho's Role in the Basin Cleanup
• Soil Repositories in the Basin

Coeur d'Alene Lake Management

Although Coeur d'Alene Lake is located in the Coeur d'Alene Basin Cleanup Operable Unit 3, remediation of the lake has been tackled separately from EPA's Records of Decision. In 2009, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and DEQ collaboratively developed the 2009 Lake Management Plan outside the Superfund process using separate regulatory authorities. The goal of the plan is to protect and improve lake water quality by limiting basin-wide nutrient inputs that impair lake water quality conditions, which in turn influence the solubility of mining-related metals contamination contained in lake sediments. Learn more.

Pinehurst Air Quality

Air pollution in the Pinehurst area is predominately a winter season problem characterized by periods of high concentrations of fine particulate matter primarily from residential wood heating, open burning, and slash burning. DEQ has undertaken a number of efforts to help reduce smoke from open burning and wood stoves in the Pinehurst area. Learn more.

Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer

The Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer was the first aquifer in Idaho and the second in the nation to receive sole source designation as the sole or principal source of drinking water for an area. The aquifer originates at the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho and extends west under the Rathdrum Prairie in Idaho and the Spokane Valley in Washington, underlying approximately 321 square miles of land. Learn more.

• Evolving Use of the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Boundary
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Geologic History
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Hydrogeology
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Water Quality
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Weather
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Educational Tools
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Reports and Publications
• Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Links

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes Response Action Maintenance Plan (RAMP)

The Response Action Maintenance Plan (RAMP) sets out the oversight and management activities of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes for the state of Idaho, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Learn more.

Water Quality Plans & Reports

Subbasin assessments and surface water quality improvement plans have been developed for a number of water bodies in DEQ's Coeur d'Alene Region. In addition, numerous studies have been conducted of ground water resources in the area. Access the plans and reports here.