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…

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…