Main Page Table of Contents
Project Focus (Under Construction)
Water Quality Restoration Success stories and achievements Watershed Restoration Planning TMDL Implementation Evaluations Trend Monitoring
Project Location
The Bitterroot Focus Watershed Project Area is contained within Ravalli and Missoula County and encompasses the area shown in the map above. The project area encompasses the fourth-code hydrologic unit code (HUC) 17010205 and is bound by the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains. The total extent of the watershed is approximately 2,855 square miles.
Project Overview
Nonpoint sources of pollution are widely dispersed, and while individual sources may not contribute significantly to water quality pollution, the impacts from nonpoint source pollution are cumulative. Nonpoint source pollution can impact water quality, wildlife, land management, and social factors such as economics and aesthetic resources.
Given the widespread and collective nature of nonpoint source pollution, documenting improvements in water quality by addressing these issues can be difficult. Acknowledging this limitation, DEQ's Nonpoint Source Program's strategic plan is to focus a majority of its resources into select watersheds for up to 3 years. The first watershed selected, beginning in 2019, was the Bitterroot.
Taking this approach, the goals are to:
1) Support increased water quality improvement activities by generating water quality interest in the watershed’s citizens and building stakeholder capacity.
2) Evaluate trends in nutrient concentrations in the mainstem Bitterroot River.
3) Track water quality indicators that could suggest restoration activities or changes in management have improved conditions.
4) Document water quality and landowner successes.
Why DEQ is Interested in the Bitterroot Watershed
A major reason the Bitterroot was selected as the first focus watershed is because of the multiple stakeholder groups working to improve water quality. This includes but is not limited to:
- Bitter Root Water Forum
- Bitterroot Conservation District
- Bitterroot National Forest
- Bitterroot River Protection Association
- Clark Fork Coalition
- Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge, USFWS
- Lolo National Forest
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- Lolo Watershed Group
- Missoula Conservation District
- Missoula Valley Water Quality Advisory Council
- NRCS staff, including District Conservationists
- Ravalli County Environmental Health
- Trout Unlimited
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Other criteria considered in selecting the Bitterroot as the focus watershed include:
- The extent that DEQ supplied resources can provide increased momentum for water quality improvement actions on the ground.
- Local citizens, stakeholders, and visitors are interested in, support, and value natural resources provided by water quality.
- The ability to track changes in water quality and/or key water quality indicators through time.
- There is a significant extent of nonpoint source pollution issues and related impairment conditions that can be addressed via traditional BMPs.
- Potential to reduce a community’s point source treatment costs by reducing upstream nonpoint sources of pollution.
- Coincides with other agency or other internal DEQ program priorities.
Project Focus (Under Construction)
Funding water quality restoration
In 2019 alone, the Clean Water Action Section 319 Grant Program is contributing nearly $300,000 to the Bitterroot Watershed. That's nearly 50% of the 319 funds distributed in the last 12 years! We will have a map soon of funded projects in the Bitterroot, but for now, please visit our 319 Restoration Projects map for more information about restoration projects in the Bitterroot and around the state
Success stories and achievements
Check out the Montana Watershed Coordination Council's Watershed Stories, with a set of stories focused on the Bitterroot Watershed
News coverage of the Bitter Root Water Forum's restoration project on Miller Creek
Watershed Restoration Planning
Coming soon: Updated Bitterroot Watershed Restoration Plan
Past WRPs completed also include: Miller Creek and Lolo Creek.
Complete TMDL Implementation Evaluations
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) are a plan to reduce pollution from different sources in order to achieve water quality standards. TMDL Implementation Evaluations (TIEs) compile the planning, restoration, and monitoring that occurred since the publication of the original TMDL document. TIEs summarize findings of the original TMDL Document and provide recommendations for improving water quality further, or make monitoring recommendations to reassess streams to see if they've achieved water quality standards.
Coming soon: Bitterroot Headwaters TIE
Past TIEs completed include Reimel Creek and Lolo Creek.
Trend Monitoring
More coming soon!
Meetings and Presentations
Project Contacts
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Role |
Name |
Email |
Phone |
Focus Watershed Project Coordinator |
Hannah Riedl |
Hannah.Riedl@mt.gov |
406-444-0549 |
Monitoring Project Manager |
Randy Apfelback |
RApfelbeck@mt.gov |
406-444-2709 |
Page Released: July 22, 2019
Page Last Updated: July 22, 2019