The overarching goal of project 1994-049-00 is to recover a productive, healthy and biologically diverse Kootenai River ecosystem, with emphasis on native fish species rehabilitation. It is designed to aid the recovery of important fish stocks, principally white sturgeon, burbot, bull trout, kokanee and other salmonids important to the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho.  

The main objective of the project has been to address factors limiting the above-mentioned key fish species within an ecosystem perspective. Major components completed include: establishment of a comprehensive and thorough biomonitoring program, investigation of ecosystem-level productivity, implementing and maintaining a large-scale Kootenai River nutrient addition effort, evaluation and rehabilitation of key Kootenai River tributaries important to the health of the Kootenai River ecosystem, provide funding to the Canadian Ministry of Forestry, Land, and Natural Resources to implement nutrient addition and monitoring in Kootenay Lake, providing written summaries of all research activities, and, hold an annual workshop with other local agencies to discuss management, research, and monitoring strategies related to this project and providing a forum to coordinate and disseminate data with other projects involved in the Kootenai River basin.      

The project biological objectives include: increases in  biological productivity in the Kootenai River ecosystem (Kootenai River and Kootenay Lake) across all trophic levels,  continuation of a system-scale multi trophic-level biomonitoring and water quality program sensitive to changes in biological  productivity,  and, continued rehabilitation of key Kootenai River tributaries important to the health of the Kootenai River ecosystem.

In summary this project, which addresses system productivity and other ecosystem level management issues (e.g. restoring normative flows as part of hydro operations), is crucial to recovery of the Kootenai River ecosystem in the post-Libby Dam era.  

Issues Project Addresses:

The Kootenai River aquatic ecosystem has been significantly degraded due to wetland loss and impoundment during the last century causing nutrient deficiencies and reductions in habitat types and complexity. Very low levels of phosphorous and sometimes nitrogen (though an uptrend has occurred in recent years) have been found downstream of Libby Dam resulting in nutrient-poor conditions in most river zones. Decreased productivity in the lower end of the food chain has led to declines in important Tribal fisheries such as Kootenai River white sturgeon, burbot and all trout species , which are scarce relative to historical account and are currently unfishable.

The International Kootenai River Ecosystem Team (IKERT) recommended in 2003 to initiate an experimental nutrient restoration effort to address low nutrient levels, which began in July of 2005 with additions of liquid phosphorus to the Kootenai River near the Idaho-Montana border. After nearly two decades of nutrient additions significant positive improvements have occurred; however, additional problems remain. Most notable are a lack of habitat complexity and productivity (in other zones where nutrients remain unavailable, such as the meander reach downstream of Bonners Ferry, ID), and regulated flow patterns (especially in winter months) that are often at odds with the normal hydrograph that occurred prior to the construction of Libby Dam in 1972.

How this SOW Addresses Objectives:

This SOW addresses the aforementioned objectives in several ways. The biomonitoring work (monitoring of water quality and biologic trophic levels) is designed to characterize the ambient conditions in the Kootenai River, and provide a template of comparison for current and future restoration work within the basin (an exception to this is the fine-scale monitoring associated with the nutrient restoration in the main stem Kootenai River. This work is designed to directly monitor the effects of nutrient additions and provide data to finely tune and evaluate the project, and, meet state and federal water quality compliance standards). SOW work elements concerning nutrient restoration in Kootenay Lake and river are addressing biological productivity issues that have been identified in the Kootenai River Sub Basin Plan (KRSBP 2004). The river fertilization work is designed to replace limiting nutrients lost within Libby Reservoir, and boost primary productivity in the Idaho reach of the river, ultimately resulting improved fisheries (more rainbow trout per mile; improved sturgeon growth and condition, improved forage base for all fish species). Tributary riparian restoration work addresses habitat needs that will benefit resident fish species, such as kokanee, rainbow trout and burbot, all species that play important roles in the Kootenai River ecosystem. Kokanee provided a seasonal food source for white sturgeon, and cycled nutrients from Kootenay Lake back to Idaho tributaries in quantities that likely had a significant effect on stream productivity, which in turn benefited resident salmonids and juvenile burbot. Kootenay Lake nutrient work has been suspended under direction of the B.C. Ministry; Canadian crews will continue with the monitoring of nutrient levels in the absence of additions.  Nearly all native fish species in the basin make annual spawning migrations up the Kootenai River into tributaries within Idaho.