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March 25, 2008
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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
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| Understanding Mine Waste Contamination: Tracking a Mine's Legacy |
Denine Schmitz at Mike Horse Creek |
Denine Schmitz, a research associate in the Land Resources & Environmental Sciences Department of Montana State University, received a $17,000 USGS research grant through the Montana Water Center for a study titled "Modeling the Potential for Transport of Contaminated Sediment from a Mine-Impacted Wetland." Denine is working with co-principal investigator Jessica Mason, a graduate student in civil engineering at Montana State University. Their work will combine surface water hydrology and hydraulics with groundwater hydrology to assess the potential for resuspension of metals from a mine-impacted wetland during large spring runoff events.
The Montana Water Center interviewed the two researchers about their work.
Q: Briefly explain the major objectives of your research and where you are currently with your work
A: The goal of our research is to assess the potential for re-suspension of metals from a mine-impacted wetland in the Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex. We chose to take this new direction because the Mike Horse dam, a tailings impoundment dam, failed during a high water event in 1975, and a downstream wetland trapped the majority of the sediment from the flood wave. Currently, the US Forest Service is in the process of removing the dam, as well as remediating the stream channel and part of the floodplain between the impoundment and the wetland. Montana DEQ is assessing the impact of the dam failure on the wetland in addition to aquatic, riparian and upland environments upstream and downstream of the US Forest Service efforts. We will dovetail with these efforts to provide a map of erosion potential across the wetland for future large floods.
With topography data from the wetland we can construct a comprehensive model of different flood magnitudes using HEC-RAS, a public domain hydraulic modeling program. The model output will help us identify areas susceptible to erosion. By estimating the recurrence intervals of these floods, we can apply probabilities of the re-suspension of metals and their transport.
We expect that the sediment will be highly variable. The wetland occurs at the confluence of five streams. Several nearby mines (now inactive) have also impacted soil, topography, and vegetation in addition to the 1975 dam breach. In our upcoming field season we will characterize the sediment, topography, vegetation, and hydrology. We have modeled the flood wave from the dam breach in a previous study. We will rely on these results for comparative analysis of floods of different sizes and their effects on the sediment transport through the wetland.
Abandoned mine pollution in the
Mine Horse study area. |
Q: What do you feel the biggest impact your research will have on Montana?
A: With our research, we hope to offer agencies, consultants, and watershed groups additional tools for restoring riparian and wetland sites impacted by acid mine drainage. A major reason for remediating mine-impacted sites is to reduce their hazard to downstream water quality and aquatic and riparian habitat. Many Montana communities rely on healthy ecosystems for their livelihoods. Our research will provide a method for evaluating the probability of resuspending contaminants during large flood events. Because restorationists cannot remove every teaspoon of contamination, they will benefit from having a probability map of erosion potential. From there, they can decide where their restoration dollars will have the largest impact. While our probabilities will not be certainties, they will contribute to more complete restoration plans.
Q: Please describe the modeling parameters you will use, and who you feel will use the models you develop?
A: The model we will use is HEC-RAS, a public domain hydraulic modeling program. We will use HEC-RAS to generate estimated shear stresses along each surveyed cross-section. Using our field assessments of the sediment, vegetation, and topography we will calculate the amount of shear stress needed to move particles at given locations along each cross section. Engineers call this the critical shear stress. By comparing the modeled shear stresses for a given flood magnitude with the critical shear stresses, we can determine if a flood will be erosive at each location. We’ll produce hazard probability maps of the erosion potential for 100, 200 and 500 year floods using this method. Because HEC-RAS is a public domain program, anyone who learns how to use it can apply our methods to restoring other mine-impacted wetlands. |
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| Pharmaceuticals in Montana’s Water |
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The Montana Water “Pharmaceuticals in Montana’s Water” newsletter issue brought in lots of commentary, including three follow-up items. First, the MSU Extension Water Quality Program was a partner in the Fall 2007 water sampling and analysis that took place in the Gallatin Valley. Secondly, this year the Gallatin Local Water Quality District and the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology will assess the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in wastewater, ground water and surface water within the GLWQD. They will collect samples of raw and treated wastewater from different types of wastewater treatment systems, then sample ground water and surface water to see if the pharmaceuticals persist in the environment. The contacts are Alan English with the GLWQD (582-3148) and Gary Icopini with MBMG (496-4818). Lastly, the US Geological Survey, which has done the most sampling for pharmaceuticals in water nationwide, has established a web information portal on these and other “emerging contaminants” at http://toxics.usgs.gov/regional/emc/index.html. |
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| Montana Water Legislation |
The Legislative Water Policy Interim Committee has been meeting since the 2007 Legislature adjourned to deliberate on a broad range of water management issues, especially whether the state should facilitate water-transfer mechanisms like water banks, a statewide water market or aquifer storage and recovery schemes. The March 12-13 meeting was devoted to water marketing. At its next meeting on April 15-16 the committee will hear a summary of findings from the many panels and presentations it has hosted. Two or three more meetings will follow, the last in September. At that time the committee will formally propose legislation to be considered by the 2009 Legislature (or it may refrain from making any committee proposal). All committee information can be accessed at http://leg.mt.gov/css/lepo/
2007_2008/water_policy/default.asp. |
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| Be Part of the Greater Gallatin Toilet Tradeout! |
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Save water! Save money! And do some good for your “bottom line.” If you have a City of Bozeman water user account, trade in your old water-wasting toilet for a new low flow toilet through the Greater Gallatin Toilet Tradeout and receive a $75 rebate. The program runs through May 1. Gallatin County residents outside of Bozeman are not eligible for the rebate, but can still get a low flow toilet for a great price. Find the details here: http://www.boojum.com/ggtt.html. If you have any questions, call Kent Madin at 595-2310. |
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| Water Poster Contest |
Children in grades three to five throughout Montana can use their creativity to help spread important water safety messages and win prizes as part of PPL Montana's fifth annual water safety poster contest. Students can choose any outdoor water activity - swimming, fishing or boating - and create a poster that contains an important message about safety around Montana's many lakes, rivers and streams. Contest information and criteria can be found at http://www.pplmontana.com/
community/strengthening+education/
water+safety+poster+contest.htm. |
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| MWCC Stream Restoration Database |
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Our thanks to the watershed groups and stream restoration people who have made recent contributions to the new and improved Montana Watershed Coordination Council stream restoration project database. The purpose of the database is to highlight work that has been done after 2002 in Montana to return degraded or damaged streams to more “naturally functioning” systems. To include your project in the database, please contact Steve at the Montana Water Center at stephen.guettermann@montana.edu. |
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| Spring & Fall Watershed Coordinator’s Training |
| The Spring Watershed Coordinator’s Training will be held May 21-23, 2008 at Fairmont Hot Springs. This training is sponsored by the Montana Watershed Coordination Council (MWCC) with support from Trees, Water and People. The training will be provided by staff of the Institute for Conservation Leadership specifically for practitioners working with community-based watershed groups.
Participants will:
- improve leadership and coordinator skills
- assess their group’s sustainability and prioritize improvements to strengthen its capacity
- develop strategies for stronger community
- design and implement ways to strengthen their board
- develop action plans and the skill to implement them
The Fall Watershed Coordinator’s Training will be held Sept 14-16, 2008 at the historic Fort Peck Hotel in Fort Peck, Montana. For more information contact Ann Schwend at rwc@rvcd.org or 842-5741 (ext 106). This is always a great opportunity to enhance fundraising skills, build board capacity and network with other watershed workers.
More details about both training sessions will follow via the WASHED listserv. |
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| NRCS Offers Incentives for Conservation Innovation |
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The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has $500,000 for Montana Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). Applications are due by April 16, 2008. Potential applicants include state and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, tribes, and individuals. These grants are intended to help develop, test, implement, and transfer innovative environmental solutions. Details about applying for CIG, including the natural resource concerns, is available online at http://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig/. |
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| Global Water Challenge Proposals |
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The Global Water Challenge (GWC) is an initiative to provide safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education to people who lack these basic services. The goal of the GWC is to bring safe water and sanitation to millions by identifying and multiplying the solutions that work. The GWC is sponsoring a competition for the most innovative approaches to providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Proposals are due March 26, 2008. See http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/competition/waterandsanitation for more information and samples of recently submitted entries. |
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| EPA’s Assessment and Watershed Protection Program Grants |
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EPA’s Assessment and Watershed Protection Program Grants (AWPPG) program is now accepting proposals until April 22, 2008. A total of $500,000 is available to fund between five to eight projects nationally. The RFP has all the information about eligibility, agency contacts for more information and proposal guidelines. For more information download the RFP at http://www.epa.gov/owow/funding/pdf/awppg_rfp_2008.pdf. |
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| AWRA Annual Awards: 2008 Call for Nominations Open |
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The American Water Resources Association annually recognizes outstanding individuals in the water resources profession. Nominators and recipients do not have to be AWRA members (except for the Fellow Member Award). Download this document for more specifics regarding eligibility, criteria, and purpose for each award are available at http://www.awra.org/news/2008awardsnominations.pdf. Submit your nominations no later than May 6, 2008. |
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| New Western Water Agenda |
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Into the breach step the folks at Western Progress with a new agenda for water in the Mountain West. They’ve issued a report authored by water law experts Denise Fort and Lawrence MacDonnell and informed by a bevy of water and policy experts. Their “New Western Water Agenda” can be found at http://www.westernprogress.org/new-western-water-agenda. |
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Do
you have more news?
The Montana Water Center News welcomes your stories about water and water issues that face Montana. If you have a short story you would like to see published in this newsletter, please send your information to water@montana.edu. |
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Take
special note of upcoming national and local water meetings
on the Events
Calendar at MONTANA WATER. |
 2008 AWWA/WEF Information Management & Technology Conference & Exhibition, Detroit, MI, March 30-April 2, 2008 [INFO] |
Residuals & Biosolids 2008, Philadelphia, PA, March 30-April 2, 2008 [INFO] |
Fundamental Contaminant Chemistry, Missoula, March 31, 2008 [INFO] |
Applied Contaminant Chemistry and Transport in Soil and Groundwater, Missoula, April 1-2, 2008 [INFO] |
Monitored Natural Attenuation of Petroleum and Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in Soil and Groundwater, Missoula, April 3-4, 2008 [INFO] |
Whitewater Rafting Workshop, Missoula, April 5-6, 2008 [INFO] |
WEF/A&WMA Odors & Air Emissions 2008, Phoenix, AZ, April 6-9, 2008 [INFO] |
Drought Advisory Committee Meeting, Helena, April 17, 2008 [INFO] |
2008 Jefferson River Rally, Whitehall, April 25-26, 2008 [INFO] |
Western Wetlands Monitoring and Assessment Workgroup, 3rd Regional Meeting, Rapid City, SD, April 29-May 1, 2008 [INFO] |
MSAWWA/MWEA Joint Annual Conference, Great Falls, May 14-16, 2008 [INFO] |
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