Accomplishments

2023

• Forced state to sue City of Parma for 2,100 Clean Water Act violations by wastewater treatment facility
• Sued J.R. Simplot’s Grand View Feedlot for egregious decades-long pollution of middle Snake River and groundwater via thousands of Clean Water Act violations from 150,000 head confined cattle operation
• Hosted conference for annual gathering of Pacific Northwest Waterkeeper chapters in Garden City, Idaho

2022

• Settled case against Idaho Power Company for Clean Water Act permit violations at Brownlee Dam, resulting in more than $550,000 in funds donated to Nez Perce Tribe projects to restore stream habitat. In response to SRW’s litigation, the Company also paid more than $1 million to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for mitigation projects at more than 15 other dam sites with permitting issues.
• Joined Amicus Brief in Support of Shoshone Bannock Tribe against J.R. Simplot’s attempt to expand phosphate mining and fertilizer production operations at Superfund site adjacent to Reservation lands
• Joined in filing Supreme Court Amicus Brief to protect basic federal pollution protections under the Clean Water Act in ongoing attempts to gut jurisdictional reach of “Waters of the United States”
• Hosted 2 fall events at Payette Brewing to celebrate 2022 victories and support 2023 program operations

2021

• Hosted yearlong, social-distanced river cleanup by members, staff and interns during ongoing pandemic
• Sampled water to provide safety updates from Memorial Day – Labor Day for 28 public access swim sites
• Maintained SWIM Guide app and all Snake Region sites, which averaged more than 1,000 clicks each
• Defeated Trump EPA’s Rule attempting to remove wetlands/headwaters from Clean Water Act coverage
• Filed Complaint against Idaho Power Company for illegal oil discharges through Brownlee Dam turbines
• Settled case against Army Corps of Engineers compelling cessation of illegal oil discharges from Dworshak dam turbines and requiring use of biodegradable Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant (EAL)
• Won 9th Circuit Appeal of Idaho’s newly-promulgated General CAFO Permit Rule, forcing all large beef feedlots and dairies in Idaho to monitor and report effluent discharges for accountability and enforcement
• Settled case against North Idaho Correctional Institute for Clean Water Act violations in exchange for $20,000 commitment to fund a Nez Perce Tribe project to restore native vegetation and streamside habitat

2020

• Hosted summerlong, social-distanced river cleanup by members, staff and interns during pandemic
• Sampled water to provide safety updates from Memorial Day – Labor Day for 28 public access areas
• Maintained SWIM Guide app and all Snake Region sites, which averaged more than 1,000 clicks each
• Filed Complaint in the federal district court for the North District of California challenging Trump EPA’s attempt to exclude wetlands and headwaters from Clean Water Act coverage
• Sent 60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue Idaho Department of Fish & Game’s Mackay Fish Hatchery
• Filed Complaint against Army Corps of Engineers for unpermitted oil discharges through Dworshak Dam
• Appealed Idaho’s newly-promulgated General CAFO Permit Rule to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
• Sued North Idaho Correctional Institute for hundreds of Clean Water Act violations due to discharges in a Clearwater River tributary exceeding pollution permit limits as well as egregious reporting violations

2019

• Hosted 5th Annual Basin-wide stream cleanup event on Earth Day, with over 100 volunteers at 10 sites
• Successfully defended TMDL ruling for salmon and steelhead on appeal at 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
• Joined Waterkeeper Alliance and co-plaintiff waterkeepers in advocacy against Trump’s deregulatory attempt to limit “waters of the United States” eligible for federal protection under the Clean Water Act
• Co-hosted 5th Annual “Free the Snake Flotilla”/first annual Nimiipuu River Rendezvous outside Lewiston, WA at Hells Gate State Park, with over 100 vessels and 250 attendees rallying for dam removal

2018

• Partnered with Advocates for the West, Whole Foods Boise, and North Junior High to host cleanups that removed more than 1,500 pounds of trash from streams and rivers across the Snake River’s full length.
• Negotiated settlement with Garfield, WA, drastically reducing Clean Water Act permit violations, fixing infiltration and inflow issues, and improving operations and maintenance of wastewater treatment facility 
• Won federal court victory protecting endangered salmon from mortality by high water temperatures
• Monitored water quality for physical and chemical indicator parameters at sites across the Basin and hosted SWIM Guide app and web-based map – with more than 94,000 visits and 9,000 app downloads

2017

• Filed nation’s first lawsuit against EPA Director Scott Pruitt for failure to establish temperature TMDL on Lower Snake River to protect critically endangered sockeye from high spawning run mortality levels
• Hosted celebration and fundraiser at Meriwether Cider Company, with live music and over 200 attendees
• Pushed forward in case challenging Clean Water Act Rule’s jurisdictional definition of “Waters of the United States” to the Circuit Court of Appeals after venue ruling by United States Supreme Court
• Attended 3^rd annual “Free the Snake Flotilla” – SRW interns joined over 400 attendees demonstrating and demanding immediate removal of the lower 4 Snake River dams for sockeye salmon persistence

2016

• Initiated EPA investigations and enforcement actions against polluters directly discharging to Snake River
• Sent notice letter prompting substantial redesign of rural Washington municipality’s sewage infrastructure and Wastewater Treatment Plant after uncovering more than 100 Clean Water Act violations in 2 years
• Settled challenge to EPA’s Municipal Stormwater General Permit in 2nd Circuit, banning use of toxic coal tar sealant in roads and vastly strengthening tiered corrective action requirements and violator penalties.
• Co-hosted 2nd annual “Free the Snake Flotilla” – with over 350 attendees demonstrating for dam removal
• Joined case challenging Clean Water Act Rule’s jurisdictional definition of “Waters of the United States”

2015

• Expanded “Adopt-a-Stream” river cleanup event to 10 sites and SWIM Guide to over 100 sites in 4 states
• Purchased and operated patrol vessel to confront polluters on Snake, Salmon, and Clearwater rivers
• Confronted illegal suction dredge mining at ESA-listed spawning grounds on South Fork Clearwater River, then assisted EPA Region 10 in building multiple enforcement cases and issuing violation notices
• Monitored water quality for temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, salinity, and total dissolved solids while patrolling local waterways and investigating pollution reports at more than 30 sites in Basin
• Co-hosted 1st annual “Free the Snake Flotilla” in Clarkston, WA – over 100 attendees gathered on the water to demonstrate for dam removal to protect the Snake River’s dwindling salmon and steelhead runs

2014

• Founded first-ever Waterkeeper chapter for the Snake River and its tributaries as a 501(c)(3) organization
• Established founding Board of Directors, with 100% Board member participation as donors in first year
• Launched website and Facebook page with newsfeed, action alerts, pollution reporter, & volunteer events
• Initiated “Snake Eyes” Riverwatch program, with over 25 commitments by river guides, and outfitters to monitor, steward, and report to SRW on discrete stretches of the Snake, Clearwater, and Salmon rivers
• Intervened in 7 federal proposals via scoping comments, objections, rule-makings, and letters to Congress
• Hosted over 100 attendees at Jackson, WY screening Patagonia’s groundbreaking film “DamNation”
• Coordinated and executed Basin-wide “Adopt-a-Stream” cleanup program, commencing with nearly 100 volunteers participating in fall trash sweep of rivers near Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Jackson