Drinking Water Grant

Meet the team behind the project Tom Yount Over a decade ago, Tom visited friends on Hayden Lake and quickly fell in love. He bought his home and now enjoys year-round residency with his family. Tom and his family can be found boating, skiing, fishing, paddleboarding on the lake, hiking, and hunting throughout the watershed. Tom has a Construction Management degree and 35 years of practical experience. He has worked with Idaho DEQ, EPA, and other agencies for permitting, engineering, building, and operating waste and wastewater treatment facilities. He believes that Hayden Lake’s water quality and the overall watershed ecosystem are vital for the benefit of the current and future residents. Email: tom.yount@haydenlakewid.com Frank Wilhelm Dr. Frank Wilhelm is a limnologist at the University of Idaho with over 30 years of experience. He’s been at UI since 2007 where his research is primarily focused on the effects of nutrients in controlling algal (specifically cyanobacteria) populations in surface waters. This has included long-term monitoring of trends in lakes and reservoirs, estimating whole lake/reservoir water and nutrient budgets, large-scale in-lake controlled experiments of nitrogen additions to rebalance N to P ratios, determination of internal loading via anoxic sediments using field and laboratory-incubated lake sediment core data, whole-reservoir aeration with novel aerator designs to account for a 35’irrigation withdrawal, and recently examining the effects of anthropogenic waves on sediment and nutrient resuspension in the nearshore zone of Idaho lakes. He teaches limnology at the senior undergraduate and graduate levels; team teaches in the first year FISH/WLF intro course and teaches a communication and management of scientific data course. He trains MS and PhD graduate students as well as supervises undergraduate senior projects. Email: Fwilhelm@uidaho.edu Other Ways to Reach us Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement DistrictPO Box 0161Hayden Lake, ID  83835 contact@haydenlakewid.com Facebook

    Thank you for Signing Up Drinking Water Grant UpdatesSigning up for Drinking Water Grant Project Updates does not auotmatically connect you to HLWID’s other News from the Shed. Please indicate your interest by clicking either or both options.   Please correct the marked field(s) below. *1,true,6,Contact Email,2  1,false,1,First Name,2  1,false,1,Last Name,2  Residence_Status I live within the watershed year-round.I live within the watershed seasonally.I live outside the watershed and visit the lake or mountains for entertainment.I own/operate a business that serves residents and visitors to the watershed.I represent a non-business organization or agency that cares for the wellbeing of the watershed.   1,false,18,Residence_Status,2     You can sign up to receive email updates from topics that may interest you.    News from the ‘Shed    Drinking Water Grant Updates  *Required Fields Note: It is our responsibility to protect your privacy and we guarantee that your data will be completely confidential.    

Questions? We’d love to hear from you! We’re happy to answer any questions you may have. Need a little more information about the project? Wondering about a specific step or proposal? We look forward to hearing what you have to ask! Once submitted, your questions will be answered via email, and may be integrated into our community forum!

To address recommendations from the North Arm Investigation Committee, the HLWID applied for and received funding from the EPA. This grant will be applied to reduce the occurrence of cyanobacteria in the North Arm. As part of the grant project, the University of Idaho will conduct a two-year study (Summer 2025 and 2026), the Lake Manager will conduct water sampling in the bay and along Hayden Creek, and a contracted Environmental Engineer will use the data from these studies to accomplish the objectives of the DW Grant Project. Grant Application To address the alarming frequency of HABs occurring along the North Arm of Hayden Lake, the HLWID applied for and received funding from the EPA in the form of an Emerging Contaminants Grant. This grant is focused on reducing or eliminating the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in the North Arm. Hayden Creek and North End Water Monitoring Hayden Creek is the main source of inflow for the North Arm from outside Hayden Lake. The NAIC suspects that nutrients from the creek are contributing to the harmful algae blooms. Hayden Creek Monitoring will assess the creek’s annual nutrient contribution to the lake. North End Water Quality Monitoring will assess the annual nutrient load of the lake on the north end. All three studies will help to paint a picture of how nutrients are cycled into and through the North Arm. This understanding will aid in decision-making regarding remediation activities at the north end of Hayden Lake. If you are interested in learning more about the research, you can access the monitoring plan, current monitoring data, and analyses from the study by downloading them below. Partnerships University of Idaho Research As a part of the grant project, the University of Idaho will conduct a two-year study (Summer 2025 and 2026) of the sediment-born and macrophyte sources of nutrients in the North Arm of Hayden Lake. Water sampling in the bay and along Hayden Creek will explore runoff as a source of nutrients and will be the work of the Lake Manager. The data from these studies will be used by a contracted Professional Engineer to identify the actions to be taken to remedy the excess nutrients and accomplish the objectives of the Drinking Water Grant Project.

The area north of Henry’s Point flooded each spring, but by July, drained to pasture with Hayden Creek running through it. In 1910, a dike was constructed near Honeysuckle Bay, raising shoreline levels and flooding what is now known as the North Arm. The impounded bay is shallow, making it difficult for the water to properly filter itself. To address this issue, extra attention is being given to the North Arm to improve the water quality.  North Arm Investigation Committee Recent lake monitoring activities identified the North Arm as a serious area of concern. To protect it, the Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District commissioned an investigative committee in 2024 to review the conditions in the North Arm and identify gaps in water quality data. The committee members represent a wide range of stakeholders, including the HLWID, Idaho Fish and Game, USFS, DEQ, HLWA, and several residents of the North Arm.  Regulatory Requirements The state of Idaho has set standards to help maintain the value of our natural surface waters. We work hard to make sure Hayden Lake is living up to those standards. For more information on the beneficial uses of Hayden Lake and the state’s regulatory framework, please refer to the information below. Harmful Algal Blooms Cyanobacteria are one of a number of types of phytoplankton that occur naturally in any freshwater lake. They’re not a problem as long as they are kept in check by competitors. Cyanobacteria Blooms, also known as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), occur when cyanobacteria grow out of control, as other organisms that compete for their food die off. Such blooms have occurred in the North Arm with alarming frequency over the previous 12 years–much too frequently for a lake where residents draw drinking water, and local families recreate, and tourists use Sportsmans Access for swimming, fishing, and water sports recreation. A HAB can produce extremely dangerous toxins that can sicken or even kill people, pets, livestock and wildlife.  North Arm Water Quality Research is being conducted as part of the Drinking Water Grant Project to analyze the sources of nutrients that contribute to Cyanobacteria/Harmful Algal Blooms. The results of the lake monitoring done on the North Arm can be downloaded and viewed here.