Coeur d’Alene River (South Fork) Subbasin

The South Fork Coeur d’Alene River and its tributaries drain the entire subbasin represented by hydrologic unit code 17010302. The river and its tributaries flow from the Coeur d’Alene Mountains to the river’s confluence with the North Fork Coeur d’Alene River near Enaville, Idaho. The subbasin encompasses approximately 298 square miles and is a mix of communities, mining and other industrial sites, forests, and landownerships.

Most streams in the South Fork Coeur d’Alene River subbasin are listed as impaired by sediment, metals, or temperature. In 2000, DEQ and EPA developed TMDLs for cadmium, lead, and zinc in the Coeur d’Alene Basin, including the South Fork Coeur d’Alene River and tributaries. In 2003, the Idaho Supreme Court determined that the Coeur d’Alene Basin metals TMDLs were void because they were not promulgated according to the rulemaking requirements of the state Administrative Procedures Act.