Why Monitor?
Why citizen-science water quality monitoring is essential for Montana
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169,829 Miles
This is how many miles of streams are in Montana. If you were to walk every mile of every stream in the state, you would have completed the same distance as walking around the earth 34 times.
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Tributaries
Just as the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin form the mighty Missouri River, other smaller streams meet to form their own river networks, or watersheds. Each stream brings its own characteristics into the bigger picture. Some streams may be more muddy than others, and some may carry more nutrients.
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Water Quality
Smaller streams can account for water quality issues in bigger streams. A large-scale mine, intense farming practices, or a site of a recent wildfire can introduce metals, nutrients, or soil in higher-than-normal levels to streams. The selenium limit in Lake Koocanusa is a good example of mining in the Kootenai's tributaries causing issues downstream. This image shows selenium's effects on fish at dangerous levels.
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Importance of Monitoring
Many smaller streams in Montana are hard to reach due to their remoteness. Agency funding and personnel capacity mean only a handful of watersheds are regularly monitored for water quality. Even then, only a few sections of the rivers may be monitored. Citizen-led groups are key to monitoring the health of their local streams.
Regular, continuous monitoring helps create baseline data for natural conditions. Sampling a river over a period of years, volunteer monitors help develop comprehensive data sets from which, longer-term water quality trends can be identified. If significant changes are detected, relevant agencies and organizations can be notified to create a remedy, and return the stream to its natural conditions.
If you are interested in monitoring within your local watershed and don't know where to start, go to our website (link below). You will find resources on how to develop a Sampling and Analysis Plan, Standard Operating Procedures, and what field gear you will need. Monitoring Montana Waters was established to assist groups through the technical and scientific aspects, easing the process to collect scientifically-valid data that can help guide your watershed's health! Contact us with any questions.
MMW@flbs.umt.edu
(406) 872-4518
