Montana’s DEQ Attempts to Buck EPA on Unlawful Pollution Permits

MT DEQ Fails to Apply Still Binding Numeric Nutrient Water Quality Standards Recent reporting from the Daily Montanan exposed Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) attempt to move forward with wastewater treatment facility permit renewals for the cities of Helena,…

Gallatin River Goes Green for Fourth Consecutive Year

In early August, a noxious neon-green algal bloom emerged on the mainstem Gallatin River downstream of Big Sky for the fourth consecutive year. Booming development pressure and chronically poor treatment of wastewater in the Big Sky area, combined with hot…

Gianforte Has Yet to Address the Decline of MT’s Cold Water Fisheries

Reminder: 2021 Season Recap: Montana’s Cold Water Fisheries – the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Facebook Live October 6th at 12PM On July 21, 2021 Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, alongside a coalition of over two dozen fly fishing businesses, outfitters,…

Top 3 Reasons Why Narrative Standards Are Bad For Our Waterways

Narrative nutrient pollution control criteria are problematic for protecting the health of local water quality, yet Governor Gianforte and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality are pushing forward with the implementation of narrative water quality standards in pollution permitting decisions….

State of Montana Moves Forward Implementing Senate Bill 358 in Violation of Federal Law

Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality Fails to Protect Helena’s Waterways While Proposing Unlawful City Wastewater Discharge Permit The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) continues to act in bad faith, implementing narrative nutrient pollution control standards in pollution permits after…

Wealth Before Health: State Regulators Ignoring Big Sky’s Big Pollution Problem

Wealthy Developers Get Categorical Exclusions; Ignoring Cumulative Impacts Polluting Gallatin River Watershed BOZEMAN, MT – Breaking reporting by the HuffPost exposes the growing and unaddressed pollution and nutrient problems degrading Montana’s signature blue-ribbon waterway – the Gallatin River – caused…

Conservation Organizations Challenge Unlawful Big Sky Pollution Permit

Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and Montana Environmental Information Center File Suit Against DEQ’s Issuance of Septic Pollution Permit in Big Sky FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, July 19, 2021 CONTACT: Quincey Johnson, Upper Missouri Waterkeeper (406) 624-9261 BOZEMAN, MT – Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and…

Fact Sheet: Petition Filed with State of Montana to Address Gallatin County Stormwater Pollution

Stormwater Runoff Threatens Clean Water, Human Health, and Aquatic Life  When it rains or snows, runoff from roads, commercial and industrial spaces, and housing development frequently washes harmful pollutants into nearby rivers, streams, and lakes because their surfaces are impervious,…

Biden EPA Pushes to Repeal Trump Administration’s Dirty Water Rule

The EPA announced its intent to revise ‘Waters of the United States,’ restoring protections to more than half of Montana’s waterways. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their intent to revise the definition of “waters of the United States”…

FAQs: Eliminating Numeric Water Quality Standards Lets Big Polluters Off the Hook

What’s the big deal with Senate Bill 358 (2021) and Upper Missouri Waterkeeper’s Petition to the EPA?Senate Bill 358 represents the first time in our nation’s history that a state eliminated strong, science-based nutrient standards protecting rivers from harmful algae…