In 2002, Idaho listed the South Fork Palouse River as bacteria-impaired after livestock grazing. 14 years later, restoration helped remove it from the 2016 impaired list

For years, the South Fork Palouse River carried a problem that could not be seen from its banks. Idaho had listed the river as impaired for bacteria, along with sediment, nutrients and temperature. Livestock grazing was among the sources identified in the watershed, adding pressure to an already altered stream system. Then the river began showing signs of improvement after years of conservation work.

The change did not come from one massive cleanup project. It came through practical measures across the watershed, including livestock controls, streambank work and restored vegetation. By 2016, Idaho removed E. coli as an impairment for the South Fork Palouse River. The decision offered a useful example of how steady work on the land can eventually show up in water-quality data.