Gaps and overlaps are a matter of consistency in legislation and agency coordination. For the most part, the legislature has made assignments that do not overlap. State programs seem well coordinated, particularly at the watershed level where agency personnel cooperate. At the administrative level, agency roles are defined in interagency agreements to reduce duplications of effort. For example, interagency coordination on a large scale is facilitated in the Coeur d'Alene Basin under the direction of the Clean Lakes Coordinating Council.
Water quality is a complex arena, requiring many different specialists.
The number of water quality problems leads to what may be termed effectiveness, enforcement, and expectations gaps, as explained in Chapter 5 in the report and summarized herein. As indicated in Chapter 6 in the report, replies to this question will be forthcoming only after a long-term data base has been established. Trends will then reveal which programs are effective in protecting water quality. Significant controversies exist regarding the level of protection that may be obtainable from the current set of programs and resource allocations. Although primary administrative responsibility for water quality and quantity programs are respectively divided between the Department of Health and Welfare and the Department of Water Resources, they are coordinated in the law.