Kootenai County moves forward on Panhandle Health District enforcement of aquifer protection rules [Video]

KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — Kootenai County moved one step closer this week to authorizing Panhandle Health District to enforce rules about how businesses located over the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer handle chemicals. 

Though PHD has administered the aquifer protection rules since 1997, the Idaho Legislature determined that health districts are not state agencies and thus don’t have rulemaking or enforcement authority on their own. 

“The state legislature stripped away PHD’s (Idaho Administrative Procedure Act) rule,” Community Development Director David Callahan said. 

As a result, counties and municipalities have since adopted ordinances that allow health districts to carry out certain functions. The cities of Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls have already adopted new ordinances for critical materials management, as well as memorandums of understanding with PHD for inspections and enforcement. 

Kootenai …