The North Idaho Community Action Network filed an injunction to halt construction on the Sand Creek Byway in Sandpoint, Idaho, citing a violation of the federal Clean Water Act. The 2.1-mile, $98 million highway is hardly a stranger to delays: The Sandpoint News-Bulletin once reported that contracts were likely to be awarded in the fall…of 1953! No joke. But as costs quadrupled though the route remained the same---expected to cost $25 million in 2001, $45 million in 2003 and $70 million last year---and it looked like the project would irreparably damage wetlands and beachfront, construction was finally green lit after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an injunction from…The North Idaho Community Action Network. And so it goes.
This time around, the Clean Water Act was mentioned since the North Idaho Community Action Network claimed 75,000 cubic yards of fill will find its way into the creek and its wetlands. If you recall, the injunction comes exactly two weeks after Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter broke ground at a kickoff ceremony. At this event, Larry Craig evoked the passage of the Clean Water Act during the intervening years since 1953 as reason for environmental reassurance.
The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.
The North Idaho Community Action Network filed an injunction to halt construction on the Sand Creek Byway in Sandpoint, Idaho, citing a violation of the federal Clean Water Act. The 2.1-mile, $98 million highway is hardly a stranger to delays: The Sandpoint News-Bulletin once reported that contracts were likely to be awarded in the fall…of 1953! No joke. But as costs quadrupled though the route remained the same---expected to cost $25 million in 2001, $45 million in 2003 and $70 million last year---and it looked like the project would irreparably damage wetlands and beachfront, construction was finally green lit after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an injunction from…The North Idaho Community Action Network. And so it goes.
This time around, the Clean Water Act was mentioned since the North Idaho Community Action Network claimed 75,000 cubic yards of fill will find its way into the creek and its wetlands. If you recall, the injunction comes exactly two weeks after Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter broke ground at a kickoff ceremony. At this event, Larry Craig evoked the passage of the Clean Water Act during the intervening years since 1953 as reason for environmental reassurance.
