MONTANA WATER Newsletter

August 31, 2005

Welcome to the newsletter about all things water in Montana!

MONTANA WATER NEWS will come your way via email every month with fresh news about meetings and water topics that we hope is of interest to you. If you do not want to receive this newsletter, please scroll down and follow the directions to unsubscribe. If you are seeing only text in this email, or if it's not easy to read, please make sure your email program is set to view "HTML" messages, or view the newsletter online in the newsletter archives.

Your Questions Answered!

Do Anglers Transfer Whirling Disease?

Rinsing waders at a wash station.

Movements of resident and non-resident anglers in Montana: implications of transferring whirling disease among drainages.

Christopher S. Guy, Alexander Zale, and Travis Horton, Montana State University, Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit

Despite the numerous studies on the biology of the whirling disease parasite, Myxobolus cerebralis, little is known about its transfer among drainages by anglers. It is likely that anglers transfer the parasite because its myxospores are found in the sediment, the spores are extremely resilient to environmental stress, fishing equipment captures benthic sediment, and anglers are on the move. To respond to this question, the Whirling Disease Initiative solicited a multi-year angler vector study headed by Dr. Chris Guy, Assistant Unit Leader, U.S. Geological Survey–Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. The project also supports one graduate student, Kiza Gates, who is pursuing an M.S. degree in the Ecology Department at Montana State University.

They are working to quantify sediment on angling equipment, determine if the sediment contains myxospores, and record sediment load and presence of myxospores on various wader and boot types. Early work shows that salmonid anglers in Montana have pursued this activity very widely--globally in some cases. So, Guy and Gates will formally characterize angler movement to determine their potential role in transporting myxospores and other invasive species.

Research results will influence management strategies aimed at reducing spread of whirling disease and other invasive species in Montana and more widely. Most significant is the role these data will play in refining a risk assessment model that will identify angler transportation corridors. Knowing this will help perfect angler education programs and better identify wash station locations. Ultimately, this study will help managers determine if adjustments to wader type, equipment care, and equipment transport methods are needed.

Do Pharmaceuticals Contaminate My Water Supply?

William Woessner

Pharmaceuticals in septic system effluent.

William Woessner and Emily Godfrey, University of Montana

How pharmaceuticals enter the environment and, ultimately, ground water supplies, was recently studied by a University of Montana research team. The team examined occurrence and concentrations of selected pharmaceuticals in various wastewater treatment and septic systems. Thirty-two single family and ten multiple family septic tanks, as well as the influent and effluent wastewater from the community wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Missoula, Montana, were sampled for 19 drug residues and three drug metabolites of both prescription and non-prescription drugs. Only 18 of the 22 pharmaceuticals were present in the septic tanks, 12 were detected in the WWTP influent, and nine were detected in the WWTP effluent. The most frequently detected (>50%) non-prescription drugs were acetaminophen, caffeine, and nicotine, as well as metabolites of caffeine (paraxanthine) and nicotine (cotinine). Prescription drugs were detected less than 30% of the time, with the exception of warfarin, which was detected in approximately 77% of the samples. Prescription drugs found most frequently were codeine, trimethoprim and carbamazepine. The findings of Woessner's team suggest that concentrations of pharmaceuticals, originating from both septic effluent and wastewater treatment plant effluent could be leaving these treatment systems and entering the associated surface water or ground water resources in Missoula.

Early Registration Deadline Draws Near for Western Wetland Conference

The Western Wetland Conference is designed for those who manage, restore, study, and regulate wetlands, and is open to all who value wetlands. The conference will be held October 24-26 at the Denver Marriott West in Denver, Colorado. This conference presents an opportunity to learn about models and approaches for success, to discuss your own priorities and successes, and to network with people interested in wetlands throughout the 17-state western region. To learn more about the meeting, to register early (by October 3), or to apply for a scholarship, visit the web site at http://www.mtwatercourse.org/wwc.

AWRA Meeting Set for October 27, 28

The agenda is set and on-line registration just a click away for the October 27 and 28 Annual meeting of the Montana Section of the American Water Resources Association in Bozeman. Guest speakers include attorney and author Robert Glennon (author of "Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters" with Island Press), William Woessner (Geological Society of America's 2005 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer), and featured banquet speaker Dr. Jack Ward Thomas (biologist on the faculty of the University of Montana and former Chief of the U.S. Forest Service from 1993-1996).

More than 25 scientific papers and 20 posters will address the meeting theme: "Surface Water/Ground Water: One Resource." See all the details at http://www.awra.org/state/montana/events/conference.htm.

And There's More: "Floodplains and Rivers: Connections and Re-Connections"

The Center for Riverine Science and Stream Naturalization at the University of Montana offers its annual meeting entitled "Floodplains and Rivers: Connections and Reconnections" on September 22 and 23, 2005 on campus at the University of Montana. The conference features five invited scientists from institutions throughout the country. You can find out more at http://www.umt.edu/rivercenter.

Wanna Know What’s Up Your Creek?

The Watershed Education Network crew.

The Watershed Education Network will be offering four stream monitoring workshops in September. Anyone interested in monitoring local streams will learn the skills necessary to start volunteer water monitoring for select physical, biological and chemical parameters. You can also become a trained volunteer and help with an established school monitoring program by assisting area K-12 students monitor streams near their schools.

Please contact Sean Sullivan at 541-9287 for more information or visit the web at http://www.montanawatershed.org. Training dates and times are September 13th, 14th & 19th, 20th from 4-7 p.m. at the Greenough Park Pavilion area, North on Monroe St., Missoula.

Welcome to the New Manager of the Wild Trout Research Lab

Wilbert “Trey” Kucherka, a biologist from Texas, will become the new manager of the Montana Water Center's Wild Trout Research Lab early next month. Trey is a graduate of Texas A&M where he earned a masters degree in mariculture, and brings with him expertise in aquaculture design and management.

Welcome Trey!

New Publication: Instream Flows for Riverine Resource Stewardship

The Instream Flow Council is proud to announce the release of the revised edition of Instream Flows for Riverine Resource Stewardship -- the first book ever to embrace the entire field of instream flow administration and application. The IFC is an organization comprised of instream flow professionals from state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies, working to improve the effectiveness of instream flow programs for conserving aquatic resources. Authored by sixteen instream flow specialists from these agencies in the U.S. and Canada, this book provides a detailed description of riverine ecosystem management concepts and strategies for aquatic resource managers and others involved in the determination of instream flow needs and water management. This is a one-of-a-kind resource intended to help agency managers and other instream flow practitioners better fulfill their legal natural resource stewardship and public trust responsibilities. It is also an excellent text for university courses dealing with this complex subject. The book provides a comprehensive treatment of riverine ecology, the role of the public, and legal aspects of river management. It contains 46 policy statements related to program development and study design and includes descriptions and critical opinions of 34 instream flow methods.

The book may be purchased via the IFC web site, http://www.instreamflowcouncil.org, or by calling 800-247-6553. Cost is $85.00 plus $8.75 shipping & handling. 268 pages / casebound.
ISBN: 0-9716743-1-0

New Resources at the Montana Water Center Library

The Montana Water Center wishes to share its newest library acquisitions. You may check out these or any other items in our collection by visiting the Water Center's Online Lending Library at http://watercenter.montana.edu/lending_library.

So many meetings, so little time. Even so, there are a few that water folks just shouldn't miss! Take special note of the newly announced Western Wetlands Conference slated for Denver in October 2005. Find more information on these and other upcoming events on the Events Calendar at MONTANA WATER.

International Workshop on Novel and Enhanced Water Treatment Technologies for Upgrading Water Quality, Tianjin, China, September 6 - 8, 2005 [INFO]

2005 Colorado Nonpoint Source Forum - Watershed Cookbook: Watershed Plan Recipe, Glenwood Springs, CO, September 7, 2005 [INFO]

Water Information Management Systems Workshop, Missoula, September 7 - 9, 2005 [INFO]

American Fisheries Society 135th Annual Meeting, Anchorage, AK, September 11 - 15, 2005 [INFO]

Watershed Coordinator's Training Retreat, Paradise Valley, September 12 - 14, 2005 [INFO]

Research Funding: STTR - An Overlooked Resource, Bozeman, September 15, 2005 [INFO]

Yellowstone River Watch Meeting and Training, Glendive, September 17 - 18, 2005 [INFO]

Environmental & Subsurface Science Symposium, Big Sky, September 19 - 21, 2005 [INFO]

MWCC: Water Quality Group Meeting, Missoula, MT, September 22, 2005 [INFO]

Floodplains and Rivers: Connections and Re-Connections Meeting, Missoula, September 22 - 23, 2005 [INFO]

Yellowstone River Watch: Basic Training, Bozeman, September 23 - 24, 2005 [INFO]

ASDSO Dam Safety 2005 National Conference, New Orleans, LA, September 25 - 29, 2005 [INFO]

2005 Oklahoma Water Conference, Tulsa, OK, September 27 - 28, 2005 [INFO]

MWCC Outreach and Education Meeting, Helena, September 25 - 29, 2005 [INFO]

72nd Annual Water School, Bozeman, October 3 - 6, 2005 [INFO]

Mississippi River Basin Nutrients Science Workshop, St. Louis, MO, October 4 - 6, 2005 [INFO]

Tri-State Floodplain Conference, Glendive, October 5 - 7, 2005 [INFO]

MWCC Quarterly Meeting, Bozeman, October 5 - 6, 2005 [INFO]

5th Annual Montana Water Law Conference, Helena, October 13 - 14, 2005 [INFO]

ASDSO Advanced Technical Seminar on Dam Failure Analysis, Salt Lake City, UT, October 15 - 28, 2005 [INFO]

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MONTANA WATER • Email: water@montana.edu • Web: water.montana.edu