Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District

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      • Eurasian Watermilfoil
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      • Idaho Water Quality Standards & Hayden Lake
      • The Eutrophication of Hayden Lake
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      • Hayden Lake Watershed
      • Honey Badger Project
      • English Point – a Cherished Resource
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News from the 'Shed

the most important NEWS of the day in the HAYDEN LAKE WATERSHED

simple lakeshore image - decoration

Lake Mapping Days: April 18-22

Hayden Lake Water Quality Studies

Main body of hayden lake showing honey badger overlay with treatment types

Honey Badger Project and the Hayden Lake Watershed

Thank you, Leo Notar. Welcome new Board Member, Tom Yount

New No-Wake Buoys Coming to Hayden Lake

View of Hayden Lake Watershed from above the southern slopes.

2022 Community Meeting – Invasive Aquatic Weeds and More

  • HLWID, The Watershed, Water Quality
  • February 22, 2023
  • HLWID, The Watershed, Water Quality
  • February 22, 2023

Hayden Lake Water Quality Protected from Borrow Pit Lead

Great news! Travelers along Hayden Creek Road now see a renewed face on the borrow pit near the intersection with Ohio Match Road. At the heart of the facelift is a repaired berm that helps to protect Hayden Creek and, ultimately, Hayden Lake from lead contamination.

How can you help?

Those who use the site for shooting can help reduce contamination and ensure the long-term utility of the site by picking up their spent cartridges, casings, picnic waste, and litter. Don’t drive over or shoot at the berm. 

Borrow Pit Nov '22, before berm restoration.
Looking Northwest from inside the borrow pit, November '22, before the berm restoration.

Leave the site better than you found it.

The Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District (HLWID) partnered with the Hayden Lake Watershed Association and US Forest Service (USFS) to restore a damaged berm between an old borrow pit and Hayden Creek Road. The updated design helps prevent contamination-bearing sediment from entering Hayden Creek yet allows water to flow.

From Hillside to Borrow Pit to Source of Lead Contamination

The borrow pit was once a natural hillside that drained into Hayden Creek. To meet the road construction needs around the area, the hill became a source of fill materials for other locations. The details of who did the work and when are lost now, and the earth movers have been absent for decades. In their place, recreators have taken advantage of the left-behind pit area as an effective backdrop for gun sighting and target shooting.

Residents and visitors have speculated about contaminants released by shooting that would collect in the soil at the site. Last fall, the USFS tested water in and near the borrow pit and confirmed the presence of lead and other heavy metal contamination. A simple observation of the area shows that rain and snowmelt naturally drain from the pit. Any runoff would carry the lead into the creek and downstream to the lake.

Berm Restoration Leads to Protected Water Quality

The restored and fortified berm is built to withstand the rugged use it’s likely to receive. It will slow runoff from

melting snow and rain, allowing sediment to settle.  Because the heavy metals are attached to sediment, they, too, will settle behind the berm. The water will percolate through the berm without its contaminant load.

“It is very rewarding to work on projects that promote the health and resiliency of the watershed. Restoring the berm is especially satisfying because we collaborated with USFS and the Association to get it done.” – Kristine Bartz, HLWID Board Member

The construction is now complete. We hope to have a ribbon-cutting celebration in spring when the wildflowers start to bloom.

References – find more on the web:

CdA Press: Popular shooting site temporarily closed near Hayden Creek

https://cdapress.com/news/2022/nov/23/forest-service-closes-popular-shooting-pit-berm-co/

PrevPreviousThank you, Leo Notar. Welcome new Board Member, Tom Yount
NextSpring ’23 Lake Debris Removal Program – Your Way to Care for Hayden LakeNext

Thank you, Leo Notar. Welcome new Board Member, Tom Yount

New No-Wake Buoys Coming to Hayden Lake

View of Hayden Lake Watershed from above the southern slopes.

2022 Community Meeting – Invasive Aquatic Weeds and More

simple lakeshore image - decoration

Lake Mapping Days: April 18-22

Hayden Lake Water Quality Studies

Main body of hayden lake showing honey badger overlay with treatment types

Honey Badger Project and the Hayden Lake Watershed

simple lakeshore image - decoration

Lake Mapping Days: April 18-22

Hayden Lake Water Quality Studies

Main body of hayden lake showing honey badger overlay with treatment types

Honey Badger Project and the Hayden Lake Watershed

  • Related Content: HLWID, The Watershed, Water Quality
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About HLWID

The mission of the Hayden Lake Watershed Improvement District is to protect and enhance the water quality and the environmental quality within the watershed.

News from the 'Shed

Recent Posts
  • Lake Debris Removal: Request for Bids
  • Tips for Lake Debris Removal
  • Spring ’23 Lake Debris Removal Program – Your Way to Care for Hayden Lake
  • Hayden Lake Water Quality Protected from Borrow Pit Lead
  • Thank you, Leo Notar. Welcome new Board Member, Tom Yount

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  • Living on Hayden Lake
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News From the 'Shed

Lake Debris Removal: Request for Bids

Tips for Lake Debris Removal

Spring ’23 Lake Debris Removal Program – Your Way to Care for Hayden Lake

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The District

  • About the HLWID
  • HLWID – District Matters
  • Board of Directors
  • Lake Managers
  • Communication and Public Outreach
  • Monthly Meetings
Menu
  • About the HLWID
  • HLWID – District Matters
  • Board of Directors
  • Lake Managers
  • Communication and Public Outreach
  • Monthly Meetings

The Watershed

  • Blue-Green Algae
  • Citizen Science
  • HLWID
  • Lake Debris
  • Living on Hayden Lake
    • Rights, Permits, Questions, Concerns: Who to Contact
      • Invasive & Noxious Weeds
  • Recreation
  • The Watershed
  • Water Quality
Menu
  • Blue-Green Algae
  • Citizen Science
  • HLWID
  • Lake Debris
  • Living on Hayden Lake
    • Rights, Permits, Questions, Concerns: Who to Contact
      • Invasive & Noxious Weeds
  • Recreation
  • The Watershed
  • Water Quality

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Register For the '23 Lake Debris Removal Program
2023 HLWID Lake Debris Removal Program Registration
By submitting this form, you agree that you will use the 2023 HLWID Lake Debris Removal Program for only debris that has floated into your shoreline or which presents a navigational hazard on the lake. You will not use this program to dispose of waste generated on your property or by the repair or construction of your own dock.

Monday 4/16, 7:00 p.m.

HLWID Monthly Meeting

HLWID's Monthly Meetings will move to teleconferencing in order to ensure the health and safety of our constituents. For 4/16's meeting, dial 641-715-0861 and enter code 398963# at the prompt. This is a public meeting; all are welcome.