Current Research
Idaho's Water Quality
Idaho National Laboratory Project Office
Idaho Water Science Center
Water is critical to Idaho's quality of life and economic vitality. We provide reliable, unbiased hydrologic data and scientific studies to help our local, state, tribal, and federal partners effectively manage Idaho's water resources.
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News
Idaho Hydrologic Update, March-April 2025
Idaho Hydrologic Update, March-April 2025
New data products now available in StreamStats
New data products now available in StreamStats
Idaho Hydrologic Update, January-February 2025
Idaho Hydrologic Update, January-February 2025
Publications
Influence of local river hydraulics on Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) habitat selection during four spawning years, 2017–2020
Understanding fine-scale habitat selection of endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is an important component for monitoring and recovery efforts. Fine-scale habitat selection and quantifying temporal changes in suitable habitat contributes to the work of addressing recruitment failure within the Kootenai River population. Habitat suitability indices were...
A trend analysis and model comparison of total phosphorus concentrations and loads in the Boise River near Parma, southwestern Idaho, water years 2003–21
Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and loads in the Boise River near Parma, Idaho, were examined to identify changes by month over a 19-year period from water year 2003 through water year 2021 and to evaluate the performance of three common water-quality models. Mean annual TP concentrations and loads were estimated to have reduced by approximately 60 percent over the study period...
Contrasting magnitude and timing of pulsed aqueous methylmercury bioaccumulation across a reservoir food web
Water column hypoxia is a key process influencing methylmercury (MeHg) production and availability in waterbodies worldwide. During seasonal destratification, large, short-lived pulses of aqueous MeHg may be released into the subsequently mixed water column, but little is known about the fate of these pulses, particularly whether there are concomitant increases in MeHg uptake into...
Science
Mercury Cycling in the Hells Canyon Complex
The Hells Canyon Complex (HCC) is the largest privately owned hydroelectric power complex in the United States. Upstream are millions of acres of irrigated agricultural lands and Idaho’s largest metropolitan area clustered around the state capital Boise. Downstream lie confluences with the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers, critical habitat for threatened bull trout and fall chinook salmon. Elevated...
Real-Time Pier Scour Monitoring and Evaluation
The most common cause of bridge failure is scour, when high-velocity streamflow scours streambed material from around bridge piers and abutments. As of 2017, the National Bridge Inventory listed 265 of Idaho's nearly 4,500 bridges (about 6 percent) as "scour critical." When rivers rise quickly, bridge inspectors have little or no time to mobilize and monitor bridges at risk of scour. Real-time...
Characterizing the Water Resources of the Camas Prairie, Southern Idaho
Southern Idaho's Camas Prairie is a 730-square-mile basin nestled between the Mount Bennett Hills and the Soldier Mountains and drained by Camas Creek. The area is culturally significant to native peoples who have gathered the bulbs of the common camas for food. Since the late 19th century, the basin has also been an important agricultural area. Camas Creek contributes water to Magic Reservoir, a...