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Bitter Root Water Forum
County: Ravalli
Sub-Major Basin: Upper Clark Fork
Affected Watershed: Bitterroot
Watershed Description: The Bitter Root Water Forum considers the entire Bitterroot River drainage, from its headwaters in the Sapphire Mountains to the east and Bitterroot Mountains to the west, to the confluence with the Clark Fork River near Missoula, the mainstem and all tributaries, as our watershed address. To date, there is a greater emphasis placed upon those lands that lie within Ravalli County.
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Why was a watershed effort begun? The Bitterroot River watershed, like most of the West, has been in conflict over water and water resources since the late 1800’s. It is also a community where changing populations, growth, and development have brought considerable transformation to both the land use and the culture. Such changes have often been divisive. Attempts to organize solutions have also created communities of “action groups” all promoting their vision. There was and can still be a lot of talking at each other and not much talking with each other.
The Forum was created as an experiment in collaborative processes. Several local individuals began the initial investigations in 1993 of:(a) “water” as the future resources issue, and (b) locally led, collaborative community democracy. They met weekly for several months in facilitated sessions exploring this process. They requested assistance from the Bitter Root Resource Conservation and Development Area Corporation, their County Extension Agent, and MT DNRC Water Resources staff.
A larger, multi-stakeholder audience was invited to an exploratory meeting on April 13, 1994 to develop a collaborative “watershed” initiative focusing on water and the community. The invitation proposed an effort that recognized the critical need for more knowledge about water quality and quantity in the Bitterroot River Basin.
The Forum continues today, focusing upon "protecting and restoring water quality and quantity in the Bitterroot Watershed.
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Group Accomplishments: The Forum has three general objectives that guide on-the-ground initiatives:
• understand the basic hydrologic cycle of the Bitterroot River Basin (monitoring),
• identify the water issues in the basin and facilitate communication among all interested parties (education), and
• search for and implement solutions to water quality and quantity problems to achieve a balance between resources and users (policy and implementation).
Accomplishments to date include:
MONITORING: identify water quality & quantity issues that require some type of resolution.
• “Geology of the Eastside Aquifers in the Bitterroot Valley”, by James Sears, Professor of Geology, University of Montana. May 1997.
• “Inventory Septic Locations in Ravalli County, Establish an Electronic Data Record, and Translate Data Into a GIS”, by Geodata Services, Inc., June 1998.
• “Non Point Nutrient & Sediment Assessment Project in a Portion of the bitterroot River Drainage”, by Daniel Hooten, Ravalli County Sanitarian’s Office, March 1999.
• “Hydrogeology & Aquifer Sensitivity of the Bitterroot Valley, Ravalli County, Montana”, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4219, February 2000.
• “Ground-water Resources in the Bitterroot Valley”, Montana Bureau of Mines & Geology, 1997 – present.
• “Bitterroot Water Quality Education Project”, July 2001 – present.
• “Bitterroot Headwaters Water Quality Improvement Plan”, March 2002 – present.
EDUCATION: share both what is known & unknown with local communities, local government, water users, & other interest groups.
• Know Your Watershed workshops with The Montana Watercourse (Stevensville 1995, Mill Creek 1998)
• Learn the fundamental attributes that define a healthy watershed.
• Identify signs of health and signs of “dis-ease” in the field.
• Acquire information, tools, and hands-on training that prepare you to address issues and concerns in your watershed.
• Work together with your watershed neighbors to better understand the area you live, identify common concerns, and consider possible collaborative actions to address them.
• Monthly educational programs on the 3rd Tuesday, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Bitterroot Public Library.
• Data Management tools
• GIS workstation for viewing & querying digital data
• Assemble existing digital data
• Water Rights mini-courses, May – September 1999
• NEIGHBORING: A Stewardship Workshop Series, January – February 2000
• TAKING CARE OF THE BITTERROOT WATERSHED: A Citizen’s Guide, published August 2003 and revised June 2005.
POLICY: begin to develop water management strategies & activities to prioritized issues and resolve problems.
• Temporary Bitterroot Basin Closure Bill, HB 429, effective March 29, 1999.
OTHER PROJECTS:
• “Source Water Protection Plan, for the Town of Darby, City of Hamilton, Town of Stevensville”, November 1999 – June 2000.
• Mill Creek Watershed Coordinator, November 1999 – present.
• Sweathouse Creek Watershed Assessment, 1999-2001.
• Inventory of Bitterroot Valley Wetlands and Riparian Corridors, July 2001 – September 2003.
• Lower Skalkaho Creek Migratory Fisheries Restoration Plan, September 2001 – September 2003.
• Threemile Creek Riparian & Water Quality Education Project, September 2001-present.
• Bitterroot River Basin Water Monitoring & Water Center, September 2001 – present.
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Group Plans: The Forum continues to work toward implementation of on the ground projects which improve both water quality and water quantity. The Bitterroot is a large watershed, over 1.8 million acres, with only 24% privately owned. While issues like Basin Closure or evaluation of the County’s Growth Policy are basin/county wide, many issues are more successfully addressed on a smaller scale such as a nested, or tributary, watershed. Therefore the Forum has been active in promoting landowners to organize into sub-basin watershed efforts or tributary projects.
The Forum formalized its organizational structure by incorporating in 2002 and adding a Board of Directors. 501(c)3 status was obtained in late 2004. An Executive Director was hired in November, 2004.
Short term projects now in progress include:
Board of Directors:
i) Priority setting for one, three, and five years.
ii) Community fundraising.
iii) Board development.
Organizational Efforts:
1) Continuting to bring interesting and informative speakers to our monthly Public Education Meetings.
2) Continuing to work with Ravalli County and other partners to incorporate wetland and riparian area protection into all county processes.
3) Outreach via Know Your Watershed Workshops to landowners within specific tributaries, and continuing landowner driven on-the ground projects in these priority sub-watersheds.
4) Widely distribute the Water Forum’s revised publication, "Taking Care of the Bitterroot Watershed: a citizen's guide."
5) Skalkaho Creek: continue working with landowners and partners to accomplish the installation of two siphons which will take ditch water beneath the creek.
6) Rye Creek: partner with landowners, Ravalli County Road & Bridge Department, Bitterroot Trout Unlimited, and Bitterroot National Forest to implement BMPs for the Rye Creek road which will reduce sedimentation into the creek and improve safety.
7) Upper Threemile/Ambrose Creek: complete stream assessment and hydrologic stream flow analysis, assist with community outreach for nutrient and sediment monitoring, riparian fencing, 7th & 8th grade stream monitoring, community survey; and assistance to landowners with upland range management and weed control.
8) Continue partnering with Ravalli County to establish a countywide Water Quality District.
We will know when we’ve met our long-term vision when improvement of the Bitterroot River watershed meets key beneficial uses of water (aquatic life, municipal, domestic, irrigation, recreation, and hydropower) and water sources and supply are preserved and protected.
Biggest Challenge: The Bitter Root Water Forum has two on-going challenges. The first is attaining a funding level sufficient to maintain a “home”, administrative functions, and an executive director, all of which are key to a sustainable organization.
The second challenge is to maintain and grow enthusiasm about our watershed efforts. Sustaining a collaborative initiative within a basin where governmental structures emphasize command and control decision-making is difficult. While many wish to use collaborative processes and watersheds as a planning area they remain primarily interested in program or product delivery in short time frames. Such actions do not build sustainable efforts or sustainable communities. This kind of process does not respect community driven efforts that are sometimes longer in the making. It is hard to maintain engagement if individuals feel they don’t have the involvement or power to affect change within their watershed. Our challenge is how to continue to engage residents and make changes that sustain positive watershed investments.
Additional Comments: Download "Taking Care of the Bitterroot Watershed - A Citizen's Guide"
Cover page (186 kb PDF)
Publication (2 MB PDF)
NOTICE: DEQ SEEKING COMMENTS ON BITTERROOT WATER QUALITY RESTORATION PLAN - Public comments will be accepted until 5 p.m., December 13, 2004. Click here for more information.
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| This information was last updated on: 2/11/2009 2:48:36 PM |
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Montana is one of four headwater states in the Rocky Mountain region that provides drinking water for over 60 million US Citizens in 11 states.
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