Big Payette and Cascade Lakes Water Quality Act Critical for Anglers

HB 113 would re-establish the Big Payette Lake Water Quality Council and Establish a new Cascade Lake Water Quality Council.

Such councils are critical to authorizing scientific studies, providing for public education, and offering recommendations to local, state, and federal agency partners regarding management of water bodies that are foundational to the economies and cultures of such communities.

The councils are not regulatory bodies and no allocation of taxpayer dollars are required for their existence. The Councils raise funds voluntarily to carry out any studies or educational projects. Such studies can offer critical information about toxic blue-green algae, water chemistry and impacts on fisheries, and also provide information about the consumption of fish from the lakes.

As most Idaho anglers know already, Cascade is a year-round world-class perch fishery. A Cascade Lake Water Quality Council offers a formalized way to fund studies to inform managers how to best propagate this beloved fishery so vital to Donnelly and Cascade.

Valley County Commissioners and elected officials from McCall, Donnelly, and Cascade have all signed on in favor of the legislation, but it needs support from anglers! Sign the petition below to show your support for the passage of House Bill 113.