Water Quality...

Program Employees:
Paula Webster - Water Quality Manager
(Vacant) - Environmental Specialist
Randy Trosper - Environmental Specialist

Water resources on the Reservation are extensive. They include three major river drainages, over one hundred perennial streams, numerous intermittent streams, the southern half of Flathead Lake, and numerous alpine and lowland lakes. Additionally, the Reservation contains outstanding wetland resources with pothole densities exceeding 200 per square mile in the area surrounding the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge. The Tribes are currently in the process of developing a wetland conservation strategy to address conservation and protection of this important habitat.

The Reservation also contains the largest irrigation project in Montana, and one of the largest Bureau of Indian Affairs irrigation projects nationwide.

Clean water has an integral importance to the Tribes. High quality waters support many uses including drinking, bathing, recreation, and cultural uses. Additionally, clean waters are essential to many forms of life such as fish, insects, amphibians, aquatic mammals and waterfowl.

Water quality on the Reservation is generally high in the mountains and gradually deteriorates as channels flow across the valley floor. Pollutants such as sediment, pesticides, fertilizers, and in some cases, toxins associated with human activity enter water channels. As a result, the Tribes determined that protection, maintenance, and restoration of surface waters was a top priority. Thus, the Tribes have committed staff and funding to protect water quality for all Reservation residents.

The Tribal Water Quality Program was established in 1989. EPA funds were used to set up the program. The program includes 4 full time staff (program manager, program coordinator, NPDES scientist, and wetlands coordinator). The Water Quality Program Manager and Program Coordinator collect data from permanent monitoring sites across the Reservation to assess general trends in surface water quality. The NPDES Coordinator inventories and evaluates point source discharges of pollutants into Reservation surface waters and provides technical assistance to the EPA and the Program Manager. The Wetlands Coordinator evaluates wetland water quality and guides wetland management strategies.