Details Findings, Elevated Nutrient Pollution, and Lack of Science-Based Numeric Protections for Rivers and Waterways
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper’s Executive Director Guy Alsentzer testified this morning before the Environmental Quality Council (EQC) during the “State of Montana’s Rivers” panel, emphasizing the urgent need for action to protect Montana’s water quality and fish habitat. The urgency is more pressing heading into this summer after a relatively mild winter, warmer spring temperatures, and a forecasted hot and dry summer.
Alsentzer shared findings from Save Wild Trout, Waterkeeper’s scientific arm, which has conducted extensive water quality monitoring in the Jefferson River sub-basin. The most comprehensive study of the basin to date, Jefferson River Basin Abiotic Monitoring 2023-2024, found widespread low dissolved oxygen levels, water temperatures reaching lethal thresholds for wild trout, and unhealthy nutrient levels that have caused and contributed to miles-long algal blooms that are degrading water quality and aquatic habitat.
“The findings from Save Wild Trout’s comprehensive basin-wide study are clear: we need to act now, before water quality and our fisheries habitat declines further. We don’t have a decade to wait while conditions on-the-ground worsen and river flows drop to a trickle; Montana’s outdoor economy, our communities, and our way of life depend on healthy cold-water fisheries,” said Guy Alsentzer, Executive Director of Upper Missouri Waterkeeper. “It’s time for meaningful investment and policy solutions today to protect and restore our rivers for future generations.”
A recording of the discussion on the state of rivers and panel on Montana fisheries is available here. Upper Missouri Waterkeeper’s presentation begins at 8:50 am and the accompanying presentation is available here.
Save Wild Trout’s monitoring data demonstrating elevated and unhealthy nutrient levels led Upper Missouri Waterkeeper to seek an impairment determination for the Big Hole River. The original petition, submitted in February 2025 after five years of data collection, was denied by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality after declining to assess numeric nutrient data indicating that portions of the river are failing to support designated uses. In January 2026, Waterkeeper resubmitted its Petition for Nutrient Impairment Designation, including years of water quality data, photo and video evidence of algal blooms, and a macroinvertebrate study.
Alsentzer called on the EQC to prioritize funding and advance legislative solutions during the 2027 session to support immediate action and long-term resilience for Montana’s rivers and fisheries.