Two river watchdog groups insist the Big Hole River needs a pollution fix and have called on the stateƵs environmental agency to make that happen.
The Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and the Big Hole River Foundation have filed a petition with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality requesting an impaired waterway designation tied to nutrients pollution for the Big Hole River under the federal Clean Water Act.
ƵFive years of monitoring data indicating clear exceedances of nitrogen and phosphorus water quality standards signal the need for pollution control planning to reduce nutrient discharges and restore water quality in the Big Hole,Ƶ the groups said.
Brian Wheeler, executive director of the Big Hole River Foundation, walks out into the Big Hole River in August 2023 carrying a water quality sampling kit. He has conducted water quality monitoring for about five years.Ƶ
As currently mandated by state law, DEQ must respond to the petition with a preliminary determination within 60 days. (Legislation to eliminate the deadline is being considered by state lawmakers.)
ƵThereƵs no disputing thatƵthereƵs a nutrient pollution problem on the Big Hole River, with neon-green algal blooms fueled by nutrients cropping up each summer,Ƶ said Guy Alsentzer, executive director of Upper Missouri Waterkeeper.
He said five years of data, from samples collected and submitted according to DEQ standards, prove that Ƶnutrient levels are well beyond the legal limit for impairment.Ƶ
On Wednesday afternoon, DEQ weighed in.
ƵBased on observations in recent years, nutrient conditions and other algae growth factors appear to be at levels conducive for algae growth in the Big Hole River and several of its tributaries,Ƶ the agency said. ƵDEQ would emphasize that nutrients are not the only stressor to the fishery, and temperatures and stream flows are very important considerations for fish stress and algae growth.Ƶ
DEQ said the Big Hole River is already an impaired water for other pollution listings such as sediment, temperature, flow, metals and fish habitat
Pollution control planning, if it proceeds, will likely have implications for ranches along the river, especially in the upper Big Hole Valley Ƶ where cattle manure runoff is a potential source of nitrogen and phosphorus. Ƶ
A filamentous green algae bloom is seen in the Big Hole River in July 2023 at the Salmon Fly Fishing Access in Melrose.
ƵSampling sites near Wisdom, Jackson and Mudd Creek exceeded standards nearly every time sampling occurred, indicating a persistent nutrient pollution problem that warrants attention and action,Ƶ the groups said in a news release Wednesday.
Pedro Marques, executive director of the Big Hole Watershed Committee, said Wednesday he has supported the water quality monitoring conducted by the Big Hole River Foundation.
ƵThey are doing good work,Ƶ he said.
Yet Marques said he believes nutrient pollution and algal blooms have a lot to do with the lower river volume in recent years. And that, in turn, is tied to a host of factors, he said, including diminished snowpack and other precipitation, overallocation of water rights and more.
ƵTo me, this is just the same groups focusing on the same targets,Ƶ he said, such as cattle ranchers.
Brian Wheeler, executive director of the Big Hole River Foundation, has conducted the water quality monitoring for five years. The monitoring, based on a sampling and analysis plan approved by DEQ, has occurred at 10 sites on the river mainstem and at primary tributaries since 2020.
Brian Wheeler, who has been the executive director of the Big Hole River Foundation, fills a container while collecting water quality samples on the Big Hole River in August 2023.Ƶ
ƵOur science indicates that nutrient pollution in the Big Hole River is exceeding water quality standards that are designed to protect aquatic life,Ƶ Wheeler said. ƵNow that we know this, we need the state of Montana to step in and help address the problem to ensure a healthy future for the Big Hole, its fisheries, wildlife and the community.Ƶ
Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential elements in aquatic ecosystems, but excess nutrients can cause increased algal production, contributing to the loss of dissolved oxygen.
Aquatic macroinvertebrates and the fish that feed upon them require an optimum level of dissolved oxygen to thrive.
According to EPA, Ƶsources of excess nutrients include municipal sewage and septic tank drainfields, agricultural runoff, excess fertilizer application and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen.Ƶ
Wade Fellin is co-owner of the Big Hole Lodge, a fishing outfitter and program director for Save Wild Trout.
ƵThe Big Hole is suffering blow after blow Ƶ extremely low flows prompting mid-season fishing closures and miles-long algal blooms,Ƶ Fellin said. ƵWe must do what we can now to make measurable improvements for the river, and that should start with an official impairment determination to clean up the nutrient pollution that is degrading water quality and aquatic habitat.Ƶ
Wheeler said an impairment designation could yield money for projects along the river that could reduce the input of nitrogen and phosphorous. Plantings tied to riparian zone work could help capture the nutrients before they reach the stream, he said, and fencing could help keep cattle away from the river. Ƶ
The Big Hole River is a favorite fishing destination, with a national reputation among anglers.Ƶ
Wheeler has served onƵthe board of the Big Hole Watershed Committee, which represents the agricultural community and other interests in the Big Hole Valley. He has expressed support for sustaining multi-generational ranches to support families and to preserve open space and wildlife corridors.ƵƵ
Marques said the Big Hole Watershed Committee and its members are already adept at using grants to help fund projects intended to address and limit pollution Ƶ projects like restoration of riparian vegetation, fencing to keep cattle away from the river, stock watering sources off the river, limiting streambank erosion and more.
ƵWe know very well how to access [those funds],Ƶ he said.
And the Big Hole Watershed Committee also has landowner buy-in, Marques said.
He said the Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and Big Hole River Foundation, which Marques described as policy focused, would not have that buy-in.
DEQ said the Big Hole Watershed Committee continues to work toward restoring water quality across the watershed.
Meanwhile, anglers who love the Big Hole River, along with the fishing industry that serves a subsection of them, have expressed alarm in recent years about declining populations of brown and rainbow trout in a river renowned as a blue-ribbon trout stream. Those declines have spurred research by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana State University and others to try to understand the forces at play.
The riverƵs low flows and warm temperatures in mid-to-late summer have led, at times, to hard feelings between anglers and irrigators. Deteriorating river conditions also have prompted FWP restrictions on fishing. Concerns in some quarters about the status of a population of river-dwelling Arctic grayling in the upper river have sometimes added heat to the debate about irrigation withdrawals.
If DEQ issues a preliminary impairment determination, a public comment period would follow. If the agency finds that a preliminary determination should be finalized, it will then submit a request for approval to the EPA. If EPA approves the impairment designation, the state would be propelled to develop a ƵTotal Maximum Daily Load,Ƶ a pollution cap, on the identified pollutants.
One intervention might be implementing manure management practices, according to Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and Big Hole River Foundation.
Wheeler said he believes a designation could be Ƶbeneficial toƵ everybody who is already doing good work in the valley.Ƶ
Paul Siddoway, M.D., is a Butte physician, an avid fly fisherman, a landowner along the Big Hole River and supporter of conservation measures on the Big Hole River.
Drone footage captured March 2022 provides an aerial view of the Big Hole River where it flows past Maiden Rock near Divide, Montana. (Thom Bridge, Helena Independent Record)
ƵWater quality is critical to the future of the Big Hole ecosystem and goes well beyond the impact on trout populations,Ƶ Siddoway said. ƵThere has been new visible evidence for several years, including the sudden appearance of algal blooms on the Melrose Section which I had never seen before in the last 35 years.Ƶ
In addition, Siddoway said there has been no solid explanation for a dramatic drop in salmon fly populations in the lower river during the past decade.
ƵValid scientific information is critical to making good decisions for the future of the watershed,Ƶ he said. ƵThe Big Hole River Foundation has done a great service in obtaining this data and I believe it is critical to obtain the impaired waterway designation for the Big Hole.Ƶ
DEQ said the Big Hole River Foundation's water chemistry data collection efforts "follow yearly predetermined sampling plans, use an accredited lab, and meet DEQƵs requirements for beneficial use assessment program. A review of their data did not indicate any quality assurance problems."
Siddoway said any sacrifices will help protect the river for children and grandchildren and they, in turn, will Ƶbecome future responsible advocates for our precious Big Hole River.Ƶ