If you walked along the lower Boise River 25 years ago, past Caldwell and Middleton, you saw ugly, chocolate brown water that was full of bacteria, phosphorus and dirt, and the water did not meet state or federal water standards.
Since then, some dedicated people have been trying to clean up the river one project at a time.
In their December newsletter, the Idaho Soil & Water Conservation Commission highlighted how the projects are making a difference not just to water quality but to water conservation and to crop yields for farmers.
Stan Haye, a soil conservation technician for the Canyon Soil and Water Conservation District, Mike Chase, a local farmer at Chase Farms in Eagle, Idaho, and Steve Stewbner, a conservation writer for the monthly newsletter, joined Idaho to tell us more.
