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July 27, 2007
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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
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| Fishing Restrictions Hold Anglers Back Across the State |
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As air temperatures soar across our state, so do water temperatures. As the water reaches temperatures above 73 degrees, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is closing or restricting access to many fishing areas.
To keep up-to-date on closures, go directly to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks restrictions and closures page at
http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/guide/waterclosure.aspx. |
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| Legislators at Work |
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On July 10th and 11th, Montana's new Water Policy Interim Committee (WPIC) had its inaugural meeting in Dillon. The committee elected Senator Jim Elliott (D-Trout Creek) chairman and Senator Bill Tash (R-Dillon) vice chairman. This committee, comprised of four state senators and four representatives, has the weighty charge of examining our state's water management methods, and those of other states, and developing recommendations for new bills for the 2009 Legislature.
The committee was created largely because the April 2006 Montana Supreme Court decision, commonly known as "TU", invalidated the way that the Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC) interpreted the connection between surface and ground water when it considered applications for new permits to appropriate ground water. The decision essentially forbade new ground water permits in "closed" basins unless the anticipated depletion of surface water is fully compensated for. And so the WPIC, and later the full Legislature, will consider the potential Montana applicability of water marketing, water banking, aquifer storage and recovery and other water-transfer methods for offsetting depletions caused by new appropriations.
The WPIC is cycling its monthly meetings through the basins in western Montana that are closed to further appropriation of surface water. Its next meeting will take place August 16-17 in the Gallatin Valley. At this meeting, the committee will consider the quality of surface water that is deliberately charged into aquifers: what standards should be met, how the process should be monitored, and the experience of other states in conducting aquifer storage and recovery.
Committee meetings are public, of course, and the most current information can be viewed at http://leg.mt.gov/css/lepo/2007_2008/water_policy/default.asp. |
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| 5th Annual River Center Meeting |
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The Fifth Annual River Center Meeting titled, “Ecology – when it comes to restoration design,” will take place at the University of Montana in Missoula on September 20th and 21st, 2007.
This two day meeting includes a field trip on day 1 and four keynote speakers on day 2. Keynote presentations will include time for questions and discussion. This meeting will appeal to a broad audience interested in river restoration.
For more information and registration forms visit http://www.umt.edu/rivercenter/conf2007.html Email any questions about the conference to Johnnie Moore at
johnnie.moore@umontana.edu.
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| MSU Water Conversation Scheduled For August 21st |
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This will be a great chance for MSU faculty members to meet potential collaborators from other departments to discuss their project ideas. This meeting will serve as an abbreviated version of the 2005 MSU Water Summit. The goals of the meeting are to identify the varied water expertise within the university and to point out new needs in expertise or coursework. A recent research needs survey and major water research initiatives will be discussed.
There's a lot to talk about! Please plan to join MSU water faculty and administrators in room 108 of the Ag Bioscience Building. The coffeepot will be on at 9:30; the conversation itself runs from 10:00 to noon. Contact Montana Water Center Director Gretchen Rupp with any questions or comments at grupp@montana.edu. |
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| Montana Water Science Center Director Retires |
Don Potts, Gretchen Rupp, Marvin Miller, Bob Davis |
Last week Bob Davis, long-time director of the USGS Montana Water Science Center, announced his retirement, effective August 3. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of you these past many years," said Bob. "Your dedication and willingness to work together to describe and understand the water resources of this part of the United States are commendable and have resulted in many cooperative efforts between our agencies or organizations. I hope you have found these efforts to be as rewarding as I have, and I hope that our agencies or organizations continue to work together in the future as the needs for water resources increase." In private conversation, Bob acknowledges that one of his chief activities in the coming months will be to "try to keep up with" his 10-year-old son.
Until the a new director is named, folks can contact John Kilpatrick, Wayne Berkas or Luanne Romasko at (406) 457-5901 to conduct new business with the USGS Montana Water Science Center. |
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| 74th Annual Water School |
| This annual four-day school is for entry level to experienced operators and managers. It features an array of topics from wells and lagoons to process control for water treatment and activated sludge facilities. Preventative maintenance, safety and current regulations are other examples of topics covered. Speakers of national and local acclaim will answer your questions.
Water and wastewater exams will be administered separately by the DEQ Certification Office on Friday, September 28th. The exam requires separate registration.
To register for the water school call MSU’s Extended University at (406) 994-6683.
To register for the exam call Lizbeth Geary at DEQ at (406) 444-4584. |
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| 24th Annual Montana Section AWRA Conference Registration |
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Registration for the annual Montana Water Conference co-sponsored by the Montana Water Center and the Montana Section of the American Water Resources Association (MT AWRA) will open on August 1st. Go to http://awra.org/state/montana/events/conference.htm for more registration information. |
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| Small Flows Magazine |
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Those who design, manage or regulate on-site wastewater treatment systems will be interested to know that the Spring/Summer 2007 Small Flows Magazine is now available in both hardcopy and on the National Environmental Services Center (NESC) Web site. The latest issue has articles about emergency preparedness training, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Program Assessment Rating Tool, and information about the Decentralized Wastewater Glossary Project, a collaboration among eight national organizations. View this latest issue by visiting http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/nsfc/nsfc_sfq.htm. |
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| New Water Market Guide |
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The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) has released a new handbook, Saving Our Streams through Water Markets, a reference for those interested in using water markets to protect fish and other wildlife in streams and rivers. The handbook gives practical advice about this rapidly emerging market for environmentalists, agency officials, ranchers, farmers and others. Water that would otherwise be diverted for irrigation or other purposes can now be kept in the river or stream through voluntary leases and purchases.
The handbook has two goals. One is to present an up-to-date survey of the state of water marketing to protect stream flows. The other is to give specific advice about planning and negotiating water trades. The author, Clay J. Landry, is a research associate at PERC. Before joining PERC, he was a natural resource economist for the Oregon Water Resources Department, an economic consultant for the Oregon Water Trust, and a legislative analyst for Montana Trout Unlimited.
To download the PDF handbook go to http://www.perc.org/perc.php?id=118. |
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| Do
you have more news?
Many
Montana Water News articles are generated by the Montana Water
Center’s student intern, Evan Tennant. Evan is studying
public policy at Montana State University with a special interest
in water policy. He spends what free time he has writing stories
for this e-newsletter. Do you have some stories of interest
you would like him to feature? If so, please contact Evan at
etennant@montana.edu.
He’d like to hear from you. |
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Take
special note of upcoming national and local water meetings
on the Events
Calendar at MONTANA WATER. |
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 World Water Week,
Stockholm, Sweden, August 12 - 18, 2007 [INFO] |
Upper Marias Watershed Tour for Educators, Near Cutbank, August 13 - 15, 2007 [INFO] |
2007 American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association Conference, Big Island, HI, August 15 - 17, 2007 [INFO] |
StormCon: The North American Surface Water Quality Conf & Exposition, Phoenix, AZ, August 20 - 23, 2007 [INFO] |
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2007 MSU Water Conversation,
Bozeman, August 21, 2007 [INFO] |
Darcy Lecture Series: James J. Butler Jr., Ph.D.,
Butte and Missoula, August 22 - 23, 2007 [INFO] |
American Fisheries Society 137th Annual Meeting, San Fransisco, CA, September 9, 2007 [INFO] |
12th European Congress of Ichthyology,
Cavtat, Croatia, September 9 - 13, 2007 [INFO] |
2007 Yellowstone Greening Conference,
Big Sky, MT, September 11 - 14, 2007 [INFO] |
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