Boise – The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking scientific data to assist in evaluating water quality in all Idaho rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs for the 2026 Integrated Report.
The Integrated Report is a biennial report that describes DEQ’s ongoing efforts to monitor, assess, track, and restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the state’s surface waters. Within the report, water bodies are classified into at least one of five categories ranging from meeting water quality standards to impairment by one or more pollutants.
DEQ welcomes submittal of water quality data to assess water bodies for all categories in the Integrated Report. Particularly useful are data collected within the last five years (2020 to present) that have not been previously submitted to DEQ. For all submitted data, provide a monitoring plan with the quality assurance and quality controls reported.
Before submitting data, interested parties are advised to review DEQ’s Water Body Assessment Guidance to learn how DEQ uses external data for water quality assessments, particularly Section 4.2: Existing and Readily Available Data Policy. Interested parties are also advised to review the 2026 Integrated Report Call for Data Additional Guidance for more information about commonly submitted water quality data.
To submit data, visit DEQ’s Surface Water Monitoring and Assessment page.
The deadline for submitting data is February 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. MST. For questions or more information, contact Dan Eardley at (208) 373-0147 or at [email protected].
