• Rooted plants in the Pend Oreille River obtain nutrients 

 from sediments rather than from the water column. The 

 growth of these plants is being blamed on nutrient inputs 

 to the river here. 



Response: The discussion on pages 5-13 and 5-14 

 describes how excessive aquatic macrophyte growths and 

 algae have similar detrimental effects on water quality - 

 Additional text on aquatic macrophytes has been added on 

 page 3-91. 



• Lake Pend Oreille is similar to Flathead Lake in that 

 nutrient problems are generally due to local inputs 

 such as near-shore developments, rather than lakewide 

 water quality. 



• The recommendation regarding the Phosphoria Formation 

 calls for additional ground water sampling. Floods and 

 runoff and the input of particulate matter from the 

 Phosphoria Formation are probably as important, or more 

 important, than ground water. 



Response: The recommendation addresses both ground and 

 surface water (see pages 5-15 and 5-16) . 



• Data suggest that sporadic (short-duration, high metals 

 concentrations) events control fisheries in the upper 

 Clark Fork. The data gathered under Super fund 

 investigations will not define the applicable cleanup 

 levels. Sampling will have to be essentially on a daily 

 basis to measure the magnitude and frequency of those 

 kinds of events. That has not occurred and there are no 

 plans for it to occur. 



Response: See recommendation #3, page 5-19. 



• The ARARs will say that instream values should not exceed 

 a certain value that was based on a series of monthly or 

 twice-monthly sampling. Even if the standards are 

 achieved (and there are no numeric standards for the Clark 

 Fork after the last revision of the water quality 

 standards) , it may not mean anything to the fish, they may 

 be dead anyway. 



• There is not necessarily a 1:1 correspondence between high 

 flow events and high metals values. Some of the high 

 values are due to sudden thaws or freezes, etc. 



Response: See recommendation #3, page 5-19. 



A-7 



