DEQ's division staff, housed in the agency's state office in Boise, are responsible for developing environmental policies and procedures and coordinating their implementation statewide; compiling, analyzing, and reporting environmental data; and maintaining agency relationships with environmental partners.

The agency consists of the following five divisions:

• Air Quality: assures compliance with federal and state health-based air quality standards by monitoring air quality and collecting data; developing and issuing permits; and coordinating air quality improvement efforts among communities, citizen groups, businesses, industries, other state agencies, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). more

• Water Quality: assures that the state's surface, ground, and drinking water resources meet state water quality standards by setting water quality standards and providing Clean Water Act Section 401 certification; monitoring, assessing, and reporting on surface water quality; developing and implementing water quality improvement plans known as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs); protecting the quality of public drinking water and ground water resources; providing guidance for managing storm water;

  establishing standards for on-site wastewater systems (septic systems); issuing wastewater-land application permits; and providing grants and loans.  more

• Waste Management and Remediation: ensure that wastes generated in or entering Idaho are managed and disposed in a manner protective of human health and the environment and respond to existing releases of hazardous substances to surface waters, ground water, or soils. more

• Environmental Management and Information: develops and coordinates agency's outreach and pollution prevention activities, edits technical scientific publications, and manages and maintains agency's information technology infrastructure. more

• Technical Services: provides scientific and engineering support to the agency's divisions and regions including performing engineering reviews and construction inspections; conducts air, water and waste compliance and enforcement inspections; identifies and quantifies environmental problems related to ground water, soils, rock masses, and the interaction of surface water with ground water; plans and participates in subbasin assessments and preparation of water quality improvement plans (TMDLs); reviews technical aspects of air permit applications, industrial facility emission tests, state implementation plans (SIPs), emission inventory data, emission controls, and air quality compliance issues; provides technical support for evaluation of hazardous, radioactive, and mixed waste permits; and develops innovative fate, transport and risk modeling approaches for all programs. more