Fort Peck Dam creates the country’s sixth-largest reservoir. This and at least 800 other dams hold back billions of gallons of surface water for farmers, ranchers, and city folks.
Montana’s underground aquifers store billions of gallons more. Groundwater wells punched into that aquifer has fueled much of
The state of Montana has paid out more than $1.8 million to jump start improvements on the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project–work that was long envisioned under the terms of the CSKT water rights settlement.
State, tribal, federal, and irrigation project managers met recently to discuss ongoing and planned operational improvements, such
Most Montanans get their drinking water from groundwater–a source that mostly avoids high levels of manganese, according to a recently completed investigation by researchers at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.
Manganese is a naturally occurring mineral and is present in many common foods. The mineral is necessary
In spite of recent rains, about half of Montana is experiencing severe drought—meagre soil moisture, low water levels in ponds and streams, and wilting fields. Climate experts have said the state has been experiencing long-term drought and temperature conditions perhaps not seen in thousands of years. This includes warmer
Revised federal rules will require more than 1,000 Montana water systems to identify all lead service lines over the next 2 1/2 years.
There are an estimated 6 million to 10 million lead service lines in the United States, according to EPA estimates. Lead enters drinking water mostly due
Sampling at Montana’s schools is identifying lead in water–right down to each faucet, sink, or drinking fountain.
Children absorb lead at higher rates than the average adult and exposure may lead to brain, red blood cell, or kidney damage, and result in reduced IQ, hearing impairment, recued attention span, and poor
Irrigators, recreationists, public safety officials, and other water users rely on stream gauges to measure a stream’s condition. Gauges provide the basis for many water use decisions across Montana–when to turn water into fields, when to store water, when to fish or float, or when to stop using water.
Montana’s streams
Hydrologists, climatologists, and other water experts and users are paying close attention to one question: How much water will get stored away in the state’s snowpack and soil this winter. This math can be spelled out in an equation (see above.) This natural storage is “delta S.”
Snowpack, of course, releases
A 12-year-old research program created by the Montana Legislature continues to discover the complexities of Montana’s groundwater aquifers. From the Flathead River valley to Four Corners near Bozeman, that work continues, as a specially appointed steering committee weighs projects for a next round of research.
In spite of cooler fall weather, Montana’s drought continue to be severe. More than two-thirds of the state is considered to be in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought status.
But does a drought mean water rights holders increasingly seek enforcement and protection of their rights? Data and observations are mixed.
As a
