Water Resources of Montana

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USGS Montana Highlights

Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2010 through September 2011) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Clark Fork basin, Montana

Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to near Missoula, Montana, as part of a monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin of western Montana; additional water samples were collected from near Galen to near Missoula at select sites as part of a supplemental sampling program. The sampling program was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to characterize aquatic resources in the Clark Fork basin, with emphasis on trace elements associated with historic mining and smelting activities. Sampling sites were located on the Clark Fork and selected tributaries.

Estimates of the volume of water in five coal aquifers, Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, southeastern Montana

The Tongue River Member of the Tertiary Fort Union Formation is the primary source of groundwater in the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana. Coal beds within this formation generally contain the most laterally extensive aquifers in much of the reservation. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, conducted a study to estimate the volume of water in five coal aquifers. This report presents estimates of the volume of water in five coal aquifers in the eastern and southern parts of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation: the Canyon, Wall, Pawnee, Knobloch, and Flowers-Goodale coal beds in the Tongue River Member of the Tertiary Fort Union Formation.

Hydrologic data for an investigation of the Smith River Watershed through water year 2010

Hydrologic data collected through water year 2010 and compiled as part of a U.S. Geological Survey study of the water resources of the Smith River watershed in west-central Montana are presented in this report. Tabulated data presented in this report were collected at 173 wells and 65 surface-water sites. Types of data presented in this report include groundwater levels, lithologic and yield information from drillers’ logs, stream stage, streamflow, water temperature, and water quality. The frequency of data collected at a site varied from single miscellaneous field measurements to continuous data collected using data loggers. Summary tables and graphs of data are included in the body of the report and data are included as digital files in appendixes. Figures include location maps of data-collection sites and hydrographs of streamflow. Data collected by the USGS are also stored in the USGS National Water Information System database and are available through the USGS National Water Information System Water Data for Montana Web page at waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/.

This report is online only.

Travel Times, Streamflow Velocities, and Dispersion Rates in the Missouri River Upstream from Canyon Ferry Lake, Montana

In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, initiated a dye-tracer study to determine travel times, streamflow velocities, and longitudinal dispersion rates for the Missouri River upstream from Canyon Ferry Lake. For this study, rhodamine WT (RWT) dye was injected at two locations, Missouri River Headwaters State Park in early September and Broadwater-Missouri Dam (Broadwater Dam) in late August 2010. Dye concentrations were measured at three sites downstream from each dye-injection location. The study area was a 41.2-mile reach of the Missouri River from Trident, Montana, at the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers (Missouri River Headwaters) at river mile 2,319.40 downstream to the U.S. Route 12 Bridge (Townsend Bridge), river mile 2,278.23, near Townsend, Montana.

Calculated velocities for the centroid of the dye plume ranged from 0.80 to 3.02 feet per second within the study reach from Missouri River Headwaters to Townsend Bridge, near Townsend. The mean velocity of the dye plume for the entire study reach, excluding the subreach between the abandoned Milwaukee Railroad bridge at Lombard, Montana (Milwaukee Bridge) and Broadwater-Missouri Dam (Broadwater Dam), was 2.87 feet per second. The velocity of the centroid of the dye plume for the subreach between Milwaukee Bridge and Broadwater Dam (Toston Reservoir) was 0.80 feet per second. The residence time for Toston Reservoir was 8.2 hours during this study.

Water Data Reports (Quick look:
Beginning with water year 2006, the annual water data product took on a new format different from the previous report series. The basic product is a Site Data Sheet that serves to publish all data collected during the water year at any given site. For more information about this topic, click now. )

Beginning with water year 2006, the annual water data product took on a new format different from the previous report series. The basic product is a Site Data Sheet that serves to publish all data collected during the water year at any given site in the United States. The 2006, 2007 and 2008 USGS Water Data Reports are available online and improve on the previous online reports with a new interactive feature designed to make site data retrieval easier and more convenient. Access the Water Data Report here ( ) or use the map ( ) interface.

 

 

 

Featured Projects

Coupled Real-time Streambank Piezometer and Gaging Station

Hydrologists from the USGS Wyoming, Montana, and Missisippi Water Science Centers are demonstrating the feasibility and utility of including groundwater level and temperature data from shallow streambank piezometers with existing suites of real-time data collected and transmitted at active gaging stations.

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Lower Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous Aquifer System Groundwater Availability Study

The hydraulically connected aquifers in the regional lower Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous aquifer system are the shallowest—and often most accessible—of the aquifers within the Northern Great Plains aquifer system of the United States and Canada. These aquifers are present in two nationally important energy-producing areas, the Williston and Powder River structural basins, and provide a unique opportunity to study the water-energy nexus within a groundwater context.

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Of Current Interest

Montana Water Science Center Scientist Receives EPA Award - February 16, 2012

U.S. Geological Survey scientists received the National Level Silver Medal Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at a ceremony in Denver, Colo. The scientists are being recognized for their work addressing brine contamination of drinking water supplies on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern, Mont.

 

 

Demonstrating Usefulness of Real-Time Monitoring at Streambank Wells Coupled with Active Streamgages—Pilot Studies in Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi

Groundwater and surface water in many cases are considered separate resources, but there is growing recognition of a need to treat them as a single resource. For example, groundwater inflow during low streamflow is vitally important to the health of a stream for many reasons, including buffering temperature, providing good quality water to the stream, and maintaining flow for aquatic organisms.

 

 

USGS Samples for Radioactive Constituents in Groundwater of Southwestern Montana – Project Update and Release of Data - May 3, 2011

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Jefferson County, recently sampled groundwater in southwestern Montana for uranium and other radioactive constituents.  Scientists with the USGS Montana Water Science Center collected 165 groundwater samples from 128 wells in Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Madison, Powell, and Silver Bow Counties.  Most of the wells included in the study provide water for human consumption. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the occurrence and concentration of naturally occurring radioactive constituents and the geologic settings and conditions in which elevated concentrations occur.  The USGS released preliminary findings to Jefferson County officials on May 3, 2011.  The USGS will publish a report describing methods and results later in 2012. Preliminary data.
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