PUBLIC LANDS -- Drinking water systems are not operating at some popular Bureau of Land Management recreation areas on Lake Coeur d'Alene this summer, another victim of limited funding for federal agencies.
If you are planning to take in the views along the Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail or enjoying a picnic at BLM’s Beauty Bay site, you’ll need to bring drinking water with you this summer. The water systems at both locations are not functioning, and because of budget impacts from sequestration, funding to fix them is not available.
To further complicate getting the water systems operational, the BLM’s Coeur d’Alene Field Office is unable to conduct the necessary bi-weekly water sampling in order to meet the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) drinking water standards due to a lack of personnel, said BLM spokeswoman Suzanne Endsley.
The failure of Congress to act on the sequestration legislation resulted in a 50 percent reduction in staffing for BLM's recreation department in the Coeur d'Alene district.
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