CRESTON (1965 – 2000)Monitoring Agreement • February 22nd, 2006
Contract Type FiledFebruary 22nd, 2006The Kootenay River watershed is located in the southeast corner of British Columbia. It is a transboundary river, which joins the Elk River and then flows into Koocanusa Lake (the reservoir of Libby Dam in Montana), which straddles the Canada – U.S. border. At Creston, the river re-enters British Columbia after making the loop through northern Montana and Idaho, draining 36,700 km2 (21,200 km2 in B.C. and 15,500 km2 in the US). The water quality sampling station on the Kootenay River at Creston is located 15 km downstream from the US border and 15 km upstream from Kootenay Lake. This assessment is based on up to 36 years of water quality data during 1965-2000. The main human activities in the Kootenay River watershed were the Sullivan lead-zinc mine, concentrator and former fertilizer plant at Kimberley in the St. Mary River watershed, the Libby Dam, forestry, agriculture, and residential and commercial development. The water quality trends identified below have not yet been confirmed