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Rankin Holmes measuring stream flow.

Q: Rankin, the MWT is a private, nonprofit organization that partners with landowners to keep Montana’s streams alive and flowing. Do you consider this counter to how Montana’s streams are usually managed? If so, what are some of the major barriers to your work?

A: Absolutely! Water rights, water management, and flows in general on Montana’s rivers and streams are pretty much entirely allocated to irrigation, energy and other domestic water needs. Historically, for a water right to be put to a beneficial use, the land owner would be required to divert water from the river or stream, leaving little water for instream needs. The state has only relatively recently recognized the use of a water right instream to benefit the fishery resource as a beneficial use. One of the most significant barriers to our work is the lack of management and enforcement of water rights at the state level. Along those same lines has been the difficulty obtaining authorization to change consumptive water rights to instream use through the state water rights change process. Because instream flow leasing is relatively new in Montana, there has been a learning curve associated with how to get these rights changed from both our perspective and that of the State. Other major barriers would be the complex nature of water rights in general that can cause confusion for water right holders when determining how to manage their water rights and what they actually have a right to, in addition to the widespread perception that fisheries should not be recognized as a beneficial use in Montana.

Rankin Holmes

Q: What reactions do you get from landowners when you tell them you want to keep water in a stream? How do you first approach them? Are private landowners the key to achieving instream flows?

A: Most people who are water right holders ask “how” or “why”? My first approach is to point out that there is more common ground between irrigators and folks like me who would like to see more water in our dewatered streams than they probably realize. I can assist them with funding for irrigation infrastructure improvements, efficiency projects, help them understand their water rights or help with water management on their local stream. These types of changes can often create more water instream without taking land out of production, which is something I and the Montana Water Trust usually wouldn’t want to see unless the landowner wants this or it fits with the ranch’s objective. Indeed, landowners are the key to making our work work. Landowners have the water rights that can potentially be put instream, and it takes local support for any of this type of work to be successful…so yes they are critical to our operations.

Q: You also work with various local, state and federal agencies on your projects. What barriers or opportunities do you encounter with them, especially now that you have successfully demonstrated the ability to keep streams flowing?

A: I have found most federal agencies really like what we are attempting to do. Our state agencies also are really supportive of our work, especially MT FWP. The MT DNRC also tries to be supportive, but it is charged with scrutinizing these water right changes and does this without compromising positions, which is understandable.

Prickly Pear Creek Water Commissioner Bill Wegner closing a headgate and sending water back instream.

Q: Do your projects take constant monitoring, especially during spring and summer, to assure stream flow goals are being met? If so, will this limit the MWT’s capacity to take on additional stream flow projects?

A: All of our projects require monitoring, however, some are more labor intensive than others. We definitely have projects which we have to intensively monitor to assure our water is delivered or kept instream.

The monitoring requirement could limit our capacity in the future depending on our ability to secure sufficient funding. We at the Montana Water Trust are well aware of the costs associated with monitoring and plan all of our projects and seek out funding accordingly. One definitely develops an eye for this and can look at a potential project and right away tell whether or not it would require intensive monitoring or a more standard monitoring framework.

Q: The project you highlighted at the recent MT AWRA conference in Big Sky concerned Prickly Pear Creek, a chronically dewatered and polluted stream that runs through East Helena and – sometimes – into Lake Helena. 2008 was a success in that water flowed in the stream all through the irrigation season. What are your odds of accomplishing that in 2009?

A: Well, I would like to say our chances our good, however, on a system such as Prickly Pear Creek, a lot will depend on Mother Nature and what sort of snowpack we receive this coming winter. Basically, this last year we had an average year with success. No matter what we receive this next year, we have some things in our favor such as a better understanding of flows and losses on the stream and better funding and support. I have to remain optimistic in this line of work.

Q: What new stream projects are in the works for the MWT now?

A: We have been working with the Tin Cup Water and Sewer District down the Bitterroot in Darby to assist them with rebuilding their dam on Tin Cup Reservoir at the headwaters of Tin Cup Creek. The dam was breached in 1998 and has operated at 50% capacity since. MWT currently leases the senior water right on this stream, and helping these folks secure more irrigation water will allow them to give us more water for the creek to supplement our water right during the hottest times of year. Stored water is more valuable here on this creek because of the ability to control the deliveries for when the stream really needs it.

Kids swimming in Prickly Pear Creek.

In 2009, we will be actively pursuing new stream projects in the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Upper and Middle Clark Fork, Big Hole, Upper Missouri, Upper Yellowstone and the Shields watersheds

Q: What is your favorite MWT project and why?

A: For now, I’d have to say Prickly Pear Creek. It is just really really rewarding to take a stream that has dried up practically every year and then re-water all year long with one deal. Putting flows back in this stream is now creating synergies with other organizations to invest more in other types of habitat restoration and fish passage. Water was the key missing ingredient on this stream, and because it wasn’t there stakeholders simply weren’t as excited about investing in restoration there. That’s changing now, and it’s really nice to be a part of.

Next Conference -- Missoula!

As you can see, Eric is pumped!

After Mike Roberts’ successful stint as MT AWRA president, Cam Carstarphen of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology has stepped up as the new president. Kirk Waren, also of MBMG, is vice-president. Eric Chase from the DNRC is the newly elected secretary-treasurer. Eric received his BS in Geology from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. After graduating he worked in environmental consulting in California for three years before returning to school at Colorado State University. In 2005 he obtained his MS in Watershed Science and shortly thereafter began working for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. He has been in his current position as a Surface Water Hydrologist for the Montana DNRC since 2006.

The calendar calls for high-resolution photos in .jpg, .tif, or .psd formats. They should be a minimum of 7” x 5”, 2100 pixels wide by 1500 pixels high at 300 ppi. Please send photos along with captions to stephen.guettermann@montana.edu. Photo submission deadline is Friday, November 14th! Consider all things water – aquatic habitat, restoration projects, scenic shots, irrigation and other uses, all types of bodies of water, recreation, too much/too little water. Please include captions.

The calendar is printed in black and white. You can submit color photos, but try to imagine how well they will reproduce in B & W or check them out in a graphics program. Many color photos cannot be used because they don’t make the change well. Check out past calendars at http://watercenter.montana.edu/publications/other.htm.

Jefferson Science Fellows spend one year at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. and may periodically travel to U.S. foreign embassies and/or missions. JSF awards are open to tenured academic scientists, technologists and engineers from U.S. institutions of higher learning. Nominees/applicants must be U.S. citizens and will be required to obtain a security clearance.

Nomination/application forms and instructions can be found on the Jefferson Science Fellows website at http://www.national-academies.org/jsf A total of ten Fellows will be selected for the 2009 program year. The nomination/application deadline is January 15, 2009, and awardees will be notified by early March. The 2009 Jefferson Science Fellows will report to the Department of State on or about August 15, 2009.

Please send any comments or feedback on use or interpretation to Tom Pick at Thomas.pick@mt.usda.gov.

Do you have more news?

Take special note of upcoming national and local water meetings on the Events Calendar at MONTANA WATER.

Draft 319 Grant Proposals Due to DEQ, Helena, October 31, 2008 [INFO]

The Ecology of Pacific Salmonids, Anchorage, AK, November 5, 2008 [INFO]

Pacific Salmonid Spawning Habitat Restoration Workshop, Anchorage, AK, November 6-7, 2008 [INFO]

NSF Water Workshop: Water Dynamics, Burlington, VT, November 9-13, 2008 [INFO]