Water Monitoring

Recently, winter stormed back onto the southwest Montana landscape. A March 24 storm left almost a foot of snow on the slopes high above Big Sky, with a few inches dusting the meadows and canyons closer to the Gallatin River. On the morning of March 25, our...

Groundwater study to impact water management.  BY Kristin Gardner, Executive Director Groundwater quality and quantity is threatened by the proliferation of septic systems and individual wells in the Upper Gallatin Canyon. This could lead to the degradation of...

This fall has turned out snowier than average, but it also came with several days of temperature highs over 70 degrees Fahrenheit in Mountain Village. Overall, October had a mean temperature of 34 degrees, 10 degrees cooler than the 44-degree average.

Meet Didymosphenia geminata (didymo). Didymo has been spotted growing in the Gallatin River and its tributaries. Didymo, or rock snot, is a single-celled alga that is native to Montana but has recently made headlines for causing river-choking mats.

Nitrogen levels measured in the West Fork of the Gallatin River during summer 2018 were some of the highest ever recorded, which may have contributed to increased algae in the Gallatin River, according to the Gallatin River Task Force.

The 2018 algae bloom was the talk of the town this summer. While we wait for our results and analysis, we wanted to answer some of the questions that we’ve heard around town. We developed a webpage with answers to 21 common questions about algae and water quality.

The Gallatin River Task Force began collecting routine water quality data in the Upper Gallatin River Watershed in 2000. This data is used to assess and track the long-term health of rivers and streams, plan for restoration projects, and identify and monitor unforeseen events. The 2016 Upper Gallatin River Watershed Water Quality Report outlines data trends observed between 2000 and 2016 and summarizes data collected after the wastewater effluent spill at the Yellowstone Club in March 2016.

“Just as you check your furnace or smoke detector batteries seasonally, spring is a good season to have an annual well checkup before the peak water use season begins,” recommends the National Ground Water Association (NGWA).

The Gallatin River Task Force completed a report for the initial phase of monitoring after Yellowstone Club wastewater effluent spill. Data results indicate that Montana health standards were not exceeded at any of the sampling sites during the monitoring period. Aquatic life standards were exceeded for ammonia and sediment.

On Thursday, March 3, 2016, a mechanical failure in a storage pond for tertiary treated wastewater discharged approximately 30 million gallons of treated effluent into Second Yellow Mule Creek and subsequently the Gallatin River. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) detected 18 pharmaceutical chemicals and breakdown products in water spilling directly from the Yellowstone Club wastewater pond and 11 chemicals in the downstream tributaries. Pharmaceutical concentrations measured after the Yellowstone Club Spill were below levels predicted to affect human health. DEQ results recorded an anti-convulsant and mood stabilizer, carbamazepine, and an antibiotic, sulfamethoxazole, at levels that could harm fish and stream insects.