What is a Watershed?
Imagine your roof. It collects rainfall, which runs over the shingles, into the raingutter and down the spout to soak into the soil in your yard. Now think about the landscape around you. Like the roof, it collects rainfall and snow, which runs across the slope of the land or sinks into the soil to eventually find its way into a small creek, which joins with other creeks to become a river. A watershed is the area of land that drains to a river, lake or ocean. If you wonder where one is, you are standing in one! All the land is part of a watershed. Some are very small, and others very large. Find out about them at Watersheds on the MSU Extension website.
The dominant watershed in Flathead County is the Flathead River watershed. It includes all the area that drains to Flathead Lake, including the North, Middle and South Forks of the Flathead River, the Whitefish and Stillwater Rivers and Ashley Creek. It also includes all the streams that flow directly into Flathead Lake, like the Swan River and Stoner Creek.
The Flathead River watershed begins in British Columbia, Canada, where the North Fork Flathead River originates. Watersheds cross many human boundaries! The Flathead River watershed also includes areas to the south in Lake County. Almost all the streams in Flathead County are part of this watershed.
Each stream has its own watershed. The watershed of a small tributary can be one of many that contributes to the downstream larger river’s watershed. So Haskill Creek has its own watershed, but is also one of the watersheds that contributes to the Whitefish River watershed, which is one of many that comprise the much larger Flathead River watershed. The Flathead River watershed is a major part of the Clark Fork watershed. And that is just one part of the giant Columbia River watershed! The watershed is a good tool for land managers because it can be used on many different scales.
Healthy Watersheds Initiative
EPA’s healthy watersheds approach divides the land into management areas based on watershed boundaries. There are many habitats within these boundaries. All inhabitants (human and otherwise) are affected by changes to their physical world. Variations in water flow and other natural disturbances create a dynamic framework that affects all the other parts of the system.
It is much cheaper to maintain healthy watersheds than it is to restore them. Maximum success in managing watersheds for our benefit occurs when all these pieces are considered together. Using a system approach allows people to balance decisions and prioritize needs.
Information and tools on identifying and protecting healthy watersheds and their components is now available. Learn more at http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/watershed/index.cfm
“Surf” your Watershed
Find your local watershed and see links to lots of watershed-based information for your area of interest. Your Local Watershed.
Local Watershed Groups
Ashley Creek Watershed Group
The Ashley Creek Watershed encompasses an area of 327 square miles (approximately 210,000 acres) immediately west of Kalispell. The stream network has a total length of 177 miles and is dominated by four streams –Ashley, Mount, Truman and Bales — and four lakes — Ashley, Lone, Monroe and Smith. Ashley Creek becomes a fourth order stream below the confluence with Mount Creek, and flows from the Smith Valley into the greater Flathead Valley, the city of Kalispell to the mainstem of the Flathead River about 15 miles upstream from Flathead Lake. The watershed is characterized by heavily timbered mountains in the headwaters and a mixture of farmland and residential dwellings at lower elevations near steams. Given the watershed’s proximity to Kalispell, the region’s largest city, it is becoming increasingly urbanized.
Bigfork Stormwater Advisory Committee
This group formed in 2008 to work on up-dating Bigfork’s antiquated stormwater system and work to reduce pollution entering Bigfork Bay in Flathead Lake. For more information see their website at http://www.bigforksteering.org/bigfork-stormwater-advisory.html
Clark Fork Basin Task Force
The Clark Fork River basin covers most of Montana’s portion of the Columbia River basin, which drains the mountains and valleys of Montana west of the Continental Divide. It is a headwaters basin, meaning that almost all of the water leaving the basin originates within the basin. For the purposes of this plan, the Clark Fork River basin has been divided into six smaller watersheds: Flathead River, Bitterroot River, Blackfoot River, Upper Clark Fork River, Middle Clark Fork River, and Lower Clark Fork. Flathead Conservation District’s Associate Supervisor Marc Spratt is a member of the Task Force. For maps and detailed information about their activities, see the DNRC website at the following link: http://dnrc.mt.gov/wrd/water_mgmt/clarkforkbasin_taskforce/default.asp
Flathead River Commission
The Flathead River Commission was formed in 2009 by Flathead County. Its purpose is to maintain and improve water quality within the Flathead Watershed with the following general goals and function:
- develop and implement strategies for improving water quality in the Flathead Watershed
- seek funding for projects and further education to improve water quality
- work to make stabilization and restoration more affordable and simpler
They are particularly focused on the lower 26 miles of the Flathead River between Kalispell and Flathead Lake. This area of the Flathead River is heavily influenced by water levels on Flathead Lake, as controlled by Kerr Dam. The rise and fall of lake levels creates a zone of riverbank that is unable to support riparian vegetation. The lack of vegetation makes these streambanks susceptible to erosion. The group is actively seeking solutions to problems such as erosion, riparian health and water management due to this “lake effect.”
When the group was formed, the MT Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) awarded them with a grant of state managed EPA funds designed to help realize the goals of the Clean Water Act (known as the “319 grant program”). This grant was used to do an agricultural impacts report for developing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) values for pollutants. A model is being constructed that will quantify goals of sediment, nutrients, temperature, etc. load limits to help maintain water quality in the entire watershed.
Additional funds were awarded to do educational outreach to the agricultural community. The FRC, originally housed under Flathead County, left the county in 2011 and moved under the auspices of FCD. This will allow the group to actively seek funding for restoration work along the river. They seek to work together with permitting agencies as well as other groups to find common sense solutions that protect private property rights and balance multiple uses. The group meets monthly at 7 pm in the Earl Bennet Building on the last Tuesday of the month.
Haskill Basin Watershed Council
The Haskill Basin drainage is located north and east of the City of Whitefish and Whitefish Lake, in northwest Montana, Flathead County. Haskill Creek is a major tributary to the Whitefish River. The watershed extends from Whitefish Mountain Resort in the northern part of the drainage to the Whitefish River to the south. The drainage encompasses approximately 8,200 acres (Private – 4,432 acres, USFS – 3,370 acres, and State – 520 acres). The City of Whitefish obtains most of its drinking water from upper Haskill Creek. The drainage is affected by residential and recreational development and agricultural practices.
The Montana Watershed Coordination Council website has concise background information for this group. Follow this link to them: MWCC Haskill.
The Voermans/Klungness restoration work was completed in 2007 and the project effectiveness monitoring completed in 2008. The restoration work was successful in decreasing erosion potential in the area from extreme and very high to high and moderate. This is resulting is an 87% reduction in property loss and sediment going into Haskill Creek.
The council now is looking to apply similar techniques to sites on the Reimer property downstream. Both projects involved Whitefish High School’s FREEFLOW (Flathead River Educational Effort for Focused Learning in Our Watershed) students for monitoring, site investigations and restoration work. Construction of floodplain renovation at Reimers is scheduled for 2012.
The Whitefish City Council passed Resolution 11-35 in September 2011, limiting hydropower production at the water treatment plant to only the water diverted from Haskill basin to be used for municipal supply. Haskill Basin Watershed Council has worked closely with the city to encourage conservation practices that minimize impacts to the basin.
Swift Creek Coalition
Swift Creek, a major tributary to Whitefish Lake, is located in Flathead County, in northwestern Montana, and is listed as a water quality limited water body by Montana DEQ. The drainage covers approximately 49,475 acres. Whitefish Lake is one of the drinking water sources for the City of Whitefish, which makes water quality in Swift Creek important. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) water quality sampling work is complete. This information will be used to establish pollutant limits for the creek. The Coalition is working with local landowners to develop a multi-landowner restoration plan to address vigorous stream movement and erosion. Action is planned for 2011.