Boundary News
Portion of Kootenai River to be Dyed Red for Sturgeon Study
Aug 4, 2008, 11:54
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey Idaho Water Science Center will temporarily dye a portion of the Kootenai River red as part of ongoing studies of the river's endangered white sturgeon.
The non-toxic dye, rhodamine WT, will be released into the river near Deep Creek between Aug. 13 - 15, and will be monitored as it flows downstream. Scientists hope that tracking the movement of the dye will help them understand the downstream movement of newly-hatched white sturgeon in that reach of the Kootenai.
The so-called dye trace study is a standard experiment scientists use to observe the rate and direction water takes as it moves from one point to another on a stream. The USGS is conducting the study in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho.
The USGS and the Tribe received permission to use the dye from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency responsible for protecting the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon. Citizens may notice that the river will appear light red in color as the dye spreads and moves downstream. The red tint will soon disappear as the dye dissolves. At the concentrations used for this study, rhodamine WT is harmless to humans, fish, and wildlife.
Understanding the downstream movement of newly-hatched white sturgeon will provide one more clue into the feasibility of improving the species' critical spawning habitat. The USGS and the Tribe, along with other members of a multi-agency task force, have been studying the physical characteristics of the river since 2001 to understand the current state of the sturgeon's habitat and to model possible improvements to that habitat.
The hope is that improving habitat conditions will help to increase the number of Kootenai River white sturgeon reaching adulthood.