Coeur d'Alene River

The Coeur d'Alene River flows 37 miles (60 km)[4] from the Silver Valley into Lake Coeur d'Alene in the U.S. state of Idaho. The stream continues out of Lake Coeur d'Alene as the Spokane River.

Coeur d'Alene River
The North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River
Location of the mouth of the Coeur d'Alene River in Idaho
Coeur d'Alene River (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIdaho
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of North and South Forks
 • locationPinehurst, Shoshone County
 • coordinates47°33′26″N 116°15′22″W[1]
 • elevation2,172 ft (662 m)
MouthCoeur d'Alene Lake
 • location
Harrison, Kootenai County
 • coordinates
47°27′43″N 116°47′40″W[1]
 • elevation
2,129 ft (649 m)
Length37 mi (60 km)
Basin size1,453 sq mi (3,760 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationriver mile 2.5 (RKM 4.0)[2]
 • average2,521 cu ft/s (71.4 m3/s)[3]
 • minimum230 cu ft/s (6.5 m3/s)
 • maximum27,300 cu ft/s (770 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftSouth Fork Coeur d'Alene River, Latour Creek
 • rightNorth Fork Coeur d'Alene River

Before the Bunker Hill Smelter in the Kellogg area, which mined lead and silver, was forced to adopt environmental controls in the 1970s, there was so much lead in the river in the Kellogg area the locals called the stream "Lead Creek."

Salmon levels continue to remain high in the area (needs reference) and it is a popular destination for water-skiing, tubing, and swimming for locals.

All of the real bodies of water in the film Dante's Peak were either the Coeur d'Alene River or one of its tributaries, as Wallace, Idaho, where the movie was filmed, is in the Silver Valley.

Environmental concerns have come as a result of upstream hardrock mining and smelting operations in the Silver Valley. The Coeur d'Alene Basin, including the Coeur d'Alene River, Lake Coeur d'Alene, and also the Spokane River is polluted with heavy metals such as lead and was designated a superfund site in 1983 that spans 1,500 square miles (3,884.98 km2) and 166 miles (267 km) of the Coeur d'Alene River.[5] The majority of the lake bed is covered in a layer of contaminated sediment and local health officials at the Panhandle Health District advise the lake's visitors to wash anything that has come into contact with potentially lead-laced soil or dust in the Coeur d'Alene River basin.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Coeur d'Alene River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1992-12-31. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  2. "USGS Gage #12413860 on the Coeur d'Alene River near Harrison, ID" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 2010. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  3. "USGS Gage #12413860 on the Coeur d'Alene River near Harrison, ID" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 2010. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  4. "The National Map". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved Feb 17, 2011.
  5. "Superfund Site: Bunker Hill Mining & Metallurgical Complex". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. Benson, Emily (June 24, 2019). "A dangerous cocktail threatens the gem of North Idaho". High Country News. 11 (51). Retrieved October 29, 2020.



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