Did you know that the Upper Missouri Waterkeeper is available to speak about SW and West-Central Montana’s rivers, threats to our river basin, and our work protecting the river and its communities? The Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, as well as organization…
Tag: montana water quality
2015 and Our Community Promise
Water is clear. And so should be our intentions. Upper Missouri Waterkeeper is excited to enter 2015 with a number of important clean water campaigns essential to ensuring that, on one hand, Montana possesses strong clean water protections, and on…
Stormwater Permits for Montana’s Smaller Cities
On October 17, 2014 the Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) published notice of its intent to issue a stormwater permit covering discharges from small Montana municipalities. Stormwater pollution is one of the leading causes of water quality impairment in…
Why a Waterkeeper in Montana?
Recently we’ve been asked an important question: why does Southwest and West-Central Montana need a Waterkeeper? While we have a quick answer – Montanan’s have a right to clean water, and that right needs to be protected – we also think…
MS4 Permits & Stormwater Woes
Growing communities across Southwest and West-Central Montana are faced with the problem of identifying and addressing serious stormwater pollution issues. What’s an MS4? MS4s (AKA Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems) are permited entities under the Federal Clean Water Act, designed…
Field Survey: Lower Jefferson River, Whitehall-Cardwell
The Lower Jefferson watershed of SW Montana is an interesting case-study in land management. The river is heavily tapped for water rights, by local agricultural land use, and of course supports local fisheries and macroinvertebrate populations. Last Friday one of…
What’s a Watekeeper Pollution Patrol?
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper is unique among other Montana nonprofits in that we actively patrol the breadth of our river basin. Think of our pollution patrols as surveys that assess local water health and also proactively look for signs of pollution….
Comments on Barrett Minerals Mining Permit
Today Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, Inc., Cottonwood Environmental Law Center and Montana River Action submitted this Barrett Minerals Permit Renewal Comment Letter to the Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality concerning a permit application. The Treasure Mine, located about 20 miles northeast of Dillon…
Comments to EPA on Proposed WQS Revisions
On January 2, 2014 we joined Waterkeeper Alliance in submitting this WQS Comment Letter to EPA concerning its proposal to amend existing water quality standards (WQS) under the federal Clean Water Act. We helped draft these comments because strong WQS are essential to…