Priest River Subbasin

Subbasin at a Glance

Hydrologic Unit Code	17010215
Size	981 square miles
§303(d) Listed Stream Segments	Trapper Creek, Two Mouth Creek, East River (main stem, middle fork, north fork), Tango Creek, Reeder Creek, Kalispell Creek, Lamb Creek, Binarch Creek, Lower West Branch Priest River, Lower Priest River
Beneficial Uses Affected	Cold water aquatic life, salmonid spawning
Pollutants of Concern	Sediment, heat (solar radiation), habitat alteration, flow alteration
Major Land Uses	Forestry, agriculture, rural recreation
Date Approved by U.S. EPA	March 2002 (Addendum approved: June 2003)

Overview

The Priest River basin falls primarily within the northwest corner of the Idaho Panhandle in Bonner and Boundary counties. The headwaters of Upper Priest River originate within the Nelson Mountain Range of British Columbia; headwaters of major streams on the western side of the basin originate in northeast Washington.

In 1994 and again in 1996, ten segments within the Priest River basin were classified as water quality limited under §303(d) of the Clean Water Act. All Priest River basin §303(d)-listed streams are listed for sediment (except Lower West Branch Priest River, which had no listed pollutants of concern, but sediment is implied). Nutrients are a listed pollutant for Tango Creek, and dissolved oxygen, temperature, and flow alteration are listed for East River. Habitat alteration is listed for Trapper Creek and Two Mouth Creek.

It is DEQ's position that while habitat alteration and flow alteration may adversely affect beneficial uses, they are not pollutants under §303(d) of the Clean Water Act; therefore, TMDLs will not be developed to address habitat and flow alteration as pollutants.

In March 2002, EPA approved sediment TMDLs for two water bodies: Kalispell Creek and Lower West Branch Priest River. Action on other segments was delayed at DEQ's request to allow for further data collection and analysis. An addendum addressing the water bodies for which delays were requested was submitted to EPA for review in February 2003 and approved in June 2003.

Streams and Pollutants for Which TMDLs Were Developed

Original TMDL:

Kalispell Creek: Sediment
Lower West Branch Priest River: Sediment

Addendum:

Reeder Creek: Sediment
Binarch Creek: Sediment
East River: Sediment (entire watershed), heat
Middle Fork East River: Heat
N. Fork East River: Heat
Lower Priest River: Sediment

Subbasin Documents

Priest River Subbasin Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Load (October 2001)
Priest River Assessment and TMDL Addendum (April 2003)

Department of
Environmental Quality

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