Water-Quality Plan Could Prove Costly

A Division of Environmental Quality plan to improve water quality in the Boise River would ask farmers to cut erosion and runoff by more than a third and could require Boise and other cities to build expensive water treatment plants as they grow.

The plan’s 37 percent cut in silt allowed into the river below Middleton will force cash-strapped farmers to spend money on measures to reduce the amount of dirt that runs off fields and into streams. And a proposed 90 percent cut in bacteria levels could require costly changes in dairy, feedlot and pasturing practices at a time when farm prices are low.

“It’s unfortunate the state is moving so fast because resources are not unlimited,” Parma farmer George Vance said. “If we in the farm community spend our money unwisely up front, it’s just going to be harder to find a long-term solution.”

Under a court-approved schedule, the state must send its plan to the Environmental Protection Agency in December. It then has 30 days to approve or disapprove it.

The plan establishes pollution limits for the Boise River below Lucky Peak Dam and each of its tributaries. The pollution limits, called total maximum daily loads, are the amount of pollution farms, factories and sewage plants can legally dump into the river.

Farmers are prepared to carry their share of the cleanup, said Lynn Tominaga of the Idaho Water Users Association. But they remain skeptical about the quality of the science underscoring the proposal.