Volunteers pull trash from Lake Coeur d’Alene near Tubbs Hill

The trash came out of Lake Coeur d’Alene in ugly, familiar handfuls near Tubbs Hill and the Boardwalk Marina: broken glass, cans, tires, phones and scrap metal. About 25 volunteers and divers spent Tuesday morning clearing the shoreline, a reminder that the lake’s busiest recreational edges also demand the most maintenance.

Captain Austin Munda, who owns Marine Rescue Coeur d’Alene, organized the effort and called it a labor of love. The work mixed hand labor with recovery tools built for heavier debris. Divers filled lightweight bags, then used float bags to raise larger pieces without churning up the lake bottom, where historic mining waste remains a concern.

That caution matters in a basin with a long environmental bill. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the Coeur d’Alene Basin to the National Priorities List in 1983 because of metal contamination and elevated blood lead levels in local children. EPA says the Bunker Hill/Coeur d’Alene Basin Superfund site spans about 1,500 square miles and 166 river miles, while Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality says historic mining activities caused widespread metals contamination from the South Fork Coeur d’Alene River to Lake Coeur d’Alene and on to the Spokane River.

The cleanup also showed how much of the day-to-day burden has shifted to volunteers and private help. People on land collected trash on Tubbs Hill, and the debris was loaded into a trailer supplied by Huber Trailer Sales, which also said it would cover dumping costs. That kind of support helps keep cleanup expenses from landing entirely on volunteers, local businesses or public agencies when the lake’s recreation pressure outpaces routine maintenance.

Lake stewardship has also become a state priority. Idaho established the Coeur d’Alene Lake Advisory Committee in 2021 and directed $2 million in Leading Idaho funds for lake projects, then added another $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The committee recommended 19 projects aimed at improving water quality, and DEQ says managing phosphorus is critical to the lake’s health.

The stakes are environmental and economic. Lake Coeur d’Alene anchors boating, cruises, hiking and other tourism tied to the region’s outdoor identity, and the cleanup near Tubbs Hill and the marina made clear that those uses leave a cost behind. Munda said the goal is to protect the lake and the people who use it, and more cleanups are already planned for the Boardwalk-Tubbs Hill area.