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October 28, 2009
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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
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| Kirk Waren Recaps MT AWRA Conference and MBMG’s GWIP |
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| Kirk Waren |
This month we get feedback from Kirk Waren, MT AWRA President, about the recent association conference in Missoula. Kirk also talks about some of the work being done by the Ground Water Investigation Program – GWIP – at the Montana Bureau of Mines where he is a senior research hydrogeologist.
Q: Kirk, the recent MT AWRA/River Center Conference in Missoula was well attended and seemingly well received. What were some of the highlights?
A: Yep, attendance at the conference was excellent and higher this year due to joining up with the University of Montana’s River Center. It proved to be an excellent match-up of organizations. Certainly one highlight of the conference was the cool (literally) field trip to the site of the former Milltown Dam. We were the first large group to tour the construction activities on the ground at the site. I want to thank the River Center and many scientists and consultants that arranged and contributed to that event.
Q: What does the conference do to advance water science research and policy in Montana?
A: The conference provides an annual forum for government, educational and private water professionals to gather for presentations and touch bases with their peers in numbers rarely seen at other conferences in Montana. It is important for researchers, water resource managers and policy makers to understand each other’s unique role in studying and managing the state’s water resources. We have excellent presentation from researchers whose activities are typically conducted in or near Montana or have some relevance to Montana’s water professionals. Participation from college students has grown in recent years, too. You would have to look diligently in theses, journals, reports or newsletters to find all the information presented at this conference.
Q: What issues were brought up you feel have the most importance in helping Montanans address water issues of concern?
A: After hearing Steve Running’s presentation about climate change and the expected declining surface water resources due to longer, hotter summers, it seems we may be forced to deal with increasing problems with surface water even if all the basins are closed to new appropriations. Whether you are sold on the human influence on climate change or not, there is compelling evidence it is changing and we will have to adapt. This should help us start thinking about how to manage or operate our streams and groundwater reservoirs more deliberately to have stream flow where and when we need it.
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AWRA field trippers get a heron’s eye view of Envirocon work near the Milltown Dam removal site.
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Q: How does your work at GWIP tie into some of these concerns?
A: The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology’s Groundwater Investigation Program targets hot spots of groundwater use, typically areas where some type of groundwater development for residential, industrial, or agricultural use is perceived as a threat to existing groundwater uses or nearby surface waters closed to new appropriations or both. The detailed information we collect and the groundwater models planned as products of the program should shed light on how the systems are connected, and can be used to predict effects of various water management schemes. An objective is to provide information necessary to water management agencies and water policy experts who can then work toward the more deliberate operation and management of water resources for sustained and optimized use.
Note: The 2010 MT AWRA Conference will be in Helena October 13-15. |
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Dave Donohue - MT AWRA’s new Treasurer
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Dave in the Kayunga District, Uganda, overseeing installation of a new water supply well for Bugogge Village residents.
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Dave Donohue is the newly elected Treasurer of Montana AWRA. Dave is a hydrogeologist with HydroSolutions Inc. He specializes in natural resource and environmental management, geology, and hydrogeology. Dave came west in 1977 to study geology at the University of Montana after studying forestry in upstate New York. He focused his early career in geology on mineral exploration, working for various exploration companies throughout the western states and Alaska. He entered graduate school in 1983 at Montana State University, and focused on hydrogeology while obtaining a secondary school teaching certificate. Dave taught science in Harrison, Montana for four years while completing his thesis, which focused on alluvial basin aquifers. Dave has an M.S. in Earth Sciences-Hydrogeology from Montana State University and a B.A. in Geology from the University of Montana.
In 1990, Dave left teaching for a Helena consulting firm to work on contamination and remediation projects in Alaska and California. In 2007, he joined HydroSolutions Inc., a Billings-based environmental engineering company, and opened its office in Helena. Dave focuses on water resource investigations, water development, and water rights projects in western Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and eastern Washington. He is also involved in water development and small scale irrigation projects in Uganda with HydroSolutions and the non-profit organization Hope2One Life.
Dave’s outside interests are controlled by the seasons. He cross-country and telemark skis, fly fishes, rafts, canoes, bikes (mountain and road), hunts and backpacks. He and his wife Cindy have three grown daughters. | |
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Montana Watershed Coordination Council News
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| MWCC Quarterly Meeting
The Montana Watershed Coordination Council’s quarterly meeting will be held Wednesday, November 4, 2009 in Room 137 of the Capitol Building in Helena. Members will review 2009 committee achievements, plan goals for 2010, select 2010 leadership and more. Contact Alicia Vanderheiden at info.mwcc@gmail.com for more information.
MWCC Ground-Water Work Group
The Ground-Water Work Group of the Montana Watershed Coordination Council is looking for members to participate in the group. Meetings provide opportunities to meet other water resource professionals and interact with personnel from a range of local, state and federal agencies. Attendees discuss on-going projects and research efforts associated with their respective programs. Contact Lou Volpe at lvolpe@mt.gov for more information. |
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Montana Neighbor Award
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| The 2009 Montana Neighbor Award deadline for nominations is November 15, 2009. The award rewards private landowners who go above and beyond in cooperating with conservation and sportsmen’s groups in preserving or restoring habitat, or by providing access. It also recognizes private landowners who are leaders in neighborhood conservation and who practice good stewardship. For more information visit http://fwp.mt.gov/news/article_8512.aspx or contact Brian Kahn at Brian.Kahn@earthlink.net. |
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| Watershed Planning and Assistance Grants |
Second round applications for Watershed Planning and Assistance Grants must be submitted by Wednesday, November 25, 2009 to DNRC. Approximately $45,000.00 in grants will be awarded. For more information or to see guidelines for submittal, visit http://dnrc.mt.gov/cardd/loans_grants/
watershed_planning_asst.asp.
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Get a Handle on Riparian Invaders
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| Invasive plants that colonize riparian zones and squeeze out native plants are a growing concern in much of Montana. The Tamarisk Coalition, a consortium of water-management agencies, commissioned an independent scientific review of water use by these plants in the lower Colorado basin and it may have information of interest to Montana water resource managers. Visit the website at http://www.tamariskcoalition.org and download the "ET Report" PDF found on the home page. |
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Greater Gallatin Watershed Council Holiday Cards
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Share a little bit of Montana with your family and friends by purchasing holiday cards that support the Greater Gallatin Watershed Council. All cards are reproductions of the winning entries from the GGWC's Holiday Art Competition, and all artists are from Montana. To view the card designs or to order, visit http://www.greatergallatin.org. |
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Centers Map Invasive Weeds Along Yellowstone
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| Recently, Montana State University’s Center for Invasive Plant Management partnered with the Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species to map terrestrial invasion plants along two hundred miles of the Yellowstone River. Employees and volunteers used GPS devices to create maps and record infestations of spotted knapweed, Dalmatian toadflax, leafy spurge, and saltcedar. GPS data and notes will eventually be made available online for local weed coordinators and the public. Check http://www.stopans.org for updates. |
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Montana Tech Job Opportunities
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The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology at Montana Tech has openings for Assistant and Associate Research Hydrogeologists in ground-water investigations as part of the Bureau’s Ground Water Investigation Program. Preferential application deadline is November 1, 2009. For more information on the positions, visit http://www.mtech.edu/employment. |
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Montana Water Center’s 2010 Calendar
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Here’s an opportunity to see your photos in print – the 2010 Montana Water Calendar. Although the calendar will feature Montana projects, photos from throughout the Pacific Northwest will be considered. If “before and after” shots work best for your photo’s subject matter, please send them to us. 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.
Submission deadline is November 15, 2009. For more information or to check out past calendars go to http://watercenter.montana.edu/publications/other.htm. |
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2009 AWRA Conference
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The 2009 National AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference will be held November 9-12, 2009, at the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle, Washington. The conference’s 75 sessions and panels are designed to provide a multidisciplinary approach to water resources issues that range from local to international in scope. The preliminary program is available at http://www.awra.org/meetings/Seattle2009. |
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Annual Groundwater Conference
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| The National Groundwater Association is hosting "Groundwater for a Thirsty World," on April 11-15, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. This annual conference brings together researchers, natural resource managers, policymakers, and others who supply knowledge and technology needed to address key water issues. Abstracts are due November 6, 2009. Submittal forms and other conference information can be found at: http://ngwa.confex.com/ngwa/2010gws/cfp.cgi. |
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National Wetland Team
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The “National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands” is currently being revised for the first time since 1988 by panels of botanists and wetland ecologists. The revised list will be available for public review and comment during fiscal year 2010. For more information, please contact NRCS Wetland Team Leader Dr. Norman Melvin at (817) 509-3572 or via email at norman.melvin@ftw.usda.gov, or visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2009/090209/techtip090209.html |
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Collaborators Sought for WQ project
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| Fernanda Dalcanale, a Ph.D student at Colorado State University, is looking for students and researchers interested in collaborating on a virtual database. The goal is to provide tools for dynamic ways to exchange water quality information. The database allows users to contribute water quality data and write new applications for the network itself. The main purpose is to transform scattered information into structured knowledge. If interested, contact Fernanda at dalcanale@wqin.org. |
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| Whirling Disease Initiative Final Report |
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The final report for the Whirling Disease Initiative (WDI) is available to download from the WDI website at http://whirlingdisease.montana.edu/initiative/reports.htm. The Whirling Disease Initiative was established by Congress in 1997; it concluded on June 30, 2009. Its purpose was to conduct research to develop practical management solutions to maintain viable, self-sustaining wild trout fisheries in the presence of the whirling disease parasite. The Initiative’s ultimate clients were state, tribal, and federal fisheries management agencies, and the constituencies they serve. |
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| New EPA Website: Clean Water Act’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) |
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A new EPA website provides information about the Clean Water Act’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program results to technically specialized audiences including conservation districts, TMDL developers, state water programs and university researchers. The website provides a Clean Water Act “Impaired Waters Program Pipeline” navigation feature, fact sheets, EPA reports and websites, EPA grantee reports and websites, publications, and datasets related to this effort. The TMDL Program Results Analysis website is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/results. |
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| Arsenic in Groundwater Report |
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A report titled, Arsenic in Groundwater – a World Problem, deals with the occurrence and causes of arsenic contamination and its effects on health and food production. It gives a clear and broad insight into the state-of-the-art knowledge of all aspects of arsenic in groundwater and understandably presents the arsenic problem to the public. Download the report at http://www.igrac.net/publications/302. |
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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. |
 Water Rights Training, Kallispell, October 29, 2009 [INFO] |
| Assessing the Ecological Functions of Streams & Wetlands, Seattle, WA, October 29-30, 2009 [INFO] |
| Water Quality Sampling and Design, Seattle, WA, November 4-6, 2009 [INFO] |
| Montana Watershed Coordination Council, Helena, November 4, 2009 [INFO] |
| AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference, Seattle, WA, November 9-12, 2009 [INFO] |
| Montana Neighbor Award, Nomination Deadine November 16, 2009 [INFO] |
| 68th Annual Convention of the Montana Association of Conservation Districts, Lewistown, November 17-19, 2009 [INFO] |
| Watershed Planning and Assistance Grant (Round 2), Submission Deadine November 25, 2009 [INFO] |
| NWETC Course: Delineation of Ordinary High Water Marks & Ordinary High Water Lines, Seattle, WA, December 9-10, 2009 [INFO] |
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