The U.S. Supreme Court dramatically curtailed Clean Water Act protections with its ruling in Sackett v. EPA, favoring polluters over the health of wetlands and headwater creeks across Montana and the nation. Let’s back up. What was the Sackett v….
Tag: waterkeeper
SW Montana’s Jefferson Basin Trout at Historic Lows; Recruitment Class Absent
Governor Has Ignored Calls for Cold Water Fisheries Task Force Recent reporting from the Montana Standard exposed an emergency situation on the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, and Jefferson rivers. Wild trout populations in these rivers have plummeted to 50-year+ historic…
Gallatin County Commission Rightfully Denied Major Subdivision Application
Sandhill Subdivision Lacked Sufficient Studies of Impacts to Local Water On Tuesday, May 9th, the Gallatin County Commission denied the preliminary plat application for the Sandhill Major Subdivision, a proposed 34-lot subdivision south of Kagy Blvd in Bozeman reliant on…
State of Montana Officially Declares Gallatin River ‘Impaired’
Nutrient pollution levels too high to support aquatic life, recreation Today, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) formally declared the middle segment of the Gallatin River ‘impaired’ by algal blooms under Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA)….
Waterkeeper Challenges Rubber Stamp of New Water Pollution from Big Sky
Agency Violates Law and Ignores Gallatin River Algal Blooms Upper Missouri Waterkeeper filed a complaint against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for authorizing new wastewater discharges from the Quarry Project, a new major subdivision in Big Sky, without…
Dirty Water Bills Progress Through the Legislature
Bills Create More Problems Than Solutions; Ignore Water Quantity and Quality Issues Plaguing State’s Water Resources Recent reporting by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle highlights several concerning water bills that have made it through 2023 Montana Legislative Session transmittal, yet fail…
Nearly 100 Concerned Community Members Urge Governor to Stop Major Broadwater County Subdivision
Letter Requests Governor Revoke Unlawful Subdivision Approval On Wednesday, October 26, a coalition of nearly 100 concerned Broadwater County residents submitted a letter to Governor Gianforte requesting the administration correct the wrongdoings of its water rights agency regarding the approval…
Fighting Rollbacks of Clean Water Rules
Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Push to Slash Protections for Waterways, Wetlands WASHINGTON— Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and partner conservation groups filed a lawsuit June 13th challenging two regulations that weaken Clean Water Act protections for rivers, streams, wetlands and other waterways, including…