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Lower Gallatin Focus Watershed

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on February 26, 2020 at 5:23:59 pm
 

Main Page Table of Contents    



 

Project Location

(click on image for larger view)

 

The Lower Gallatin Focus Watershed Project Area, as shown in the map above, is located in the south-central portion of the state, and includes parts of Gallatin, Park, and Madison Counties. The project area lies within the Gallatin 8-digit HUC and includes nine 10-digit HUC watersheds: Gallatin River (1002000814);  Dry Creek (1002000812); Smith Creek (1002000811); Bridger Creek (1002000808); Upper East Gallatin River (1002000809); Hyalite Creek (1002000810); Big Bear Creek-Gallatin River (1002000807); Camp Creek (1002000806); Lower East Gallatin (1002000813). The Focus Watershed includes streams draining the northern flanks of the Gallatin Range and much of the Bridger Range. Overall, the Lower Gallatin Focus Watershed covers approximately 997 square miles (638,381 acres) between the headwaters of Hyalite Creek at its southern end, and the confluence of the Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson rivers at its northern end. The towns of Bozeman and Belgrade occur in the central portion of the planning area, and the town of Manhattan occurs in the northwestern portion of the planning area.

 


 

Project Overview

 

Nonpoint source pollution is Montana's largest source of water quality impairment. Nonpoint source pollution can impact water quality, wildlife, land management, and social factors such as economics and aesthetic resources. Unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants (point sources), nonpoint sources of pollution are widespread and can be generated by most land-use activities.  This type of pollution occurs when rainfall or snowmelt creates run off that carries dirt, oil, fertilizers, and other chemicals into streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Often, simple best management practices, such as establishing and maintaining riparian vegetation, can buffer waterways from nonpoint source pollution. 

 

Given the widespread nature and collective impacts of nonpoint source pollution, generating momentum in water quality improvement is an essential component to documenting reduced nonpoint source pollution impacts. 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. The Lower Gallatin has been selected as the next Focus Watershed. 

 

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)     Work across DEQ programs to address nonpoint and point sources of pollution

3)     Track water quality indicators that could suggest restoration activities or changes in management have improved conditions.

4)     Document water quality and landowner successes.

 

Share this outreach flyer to help spread the news!


 

Why DEQ is Interested in the Lower Gallatin Watershed

 

A major reason the Lower Gallatin was selected as a focus watershed is because of the multiple stakeholder groups working to improve water quality in this area. This includes but is not limited to:

 

 

 

If your organization is not on this list and would like to be involved in this focus watershed effort, please contact the focus watershed project coordinator.

 

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 Objectives

(check back for more updates!)

 

Support evaluation of social metrics that lead to water quality improvement

 

 

 

Fund water quality restoration

The Montana DEQ receives approximately $1 million annually in project funding from EPA through the Clean Water Action Section 319 Grant Program. Please visit our 319 Restoration Projects map for more information about restoration projects in the Lower Gallatin and around the state

 

Document success stories and achievements

Check out this video on the Gallatin Watershed Council and the Montana Watershed Coordination Council's story on the Gallatin Watershed 

We will be be working with partners as we move forward to identify areas for development of Success Stories.

 

Watershed Restoration Planning

     The Lower Gallatin Watershed Restoration Plan (2014) 

 

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. Next, after TMDLs have been implemented, TMDL Implementation Evaluations (TIEs) compile the planning, restoration, and monitoring that occurred since the publication of the Lower Gallatin 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.

 

There have been no TIEs completed in the Lower Gallatin to date. We will be be working with partners as we move forward to identify areas for development of TIEs.

 

You can view the original TMDL Development Project Page.

 

Trend Monitoring

    More coming soon!


 

Meetings and Presentations

 

Meeting & Agenda  Presentations 

Lower Gallatin Focus Watershed - Stakeholder Kickoff Meeting

February 7, 2020

Gallatin Conservation District - Manhattan, MT

 

Meeting Agenda 

Nonpoint Source Focus Watershed - Lower Gallatin (9.8 MB) -- Eric Trum and Hannah Riedl, DEQ 

 

Camp and Godfrey Creeks NWQI Watershed - Implementation -- Chris Mahoney, NRCS

 

Camp and Godfrey Creeks NWQI Watershed - Monitoring (5.5 MB)-- Katie Makarowski, DEQ

 

 

   

 


 

Project Contacts

 

Role  Name  Email  Phone 
Focus Watershed Project Coordinator  Eric Trum etrum@mt.gov  406-444-0531 
Monitoring Project Manager Katie Makarowski  kmkarowski@mt.gov 406-444-3507 

 


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Page Released: July 19, 2019

Page Last Updated: July 19, 2019