Yaak Nutrients TMDL Project
Introduction
The Yaak nutrients TMDL project includes one stream, the East Fork Yaak River. The East Fork Yaak River is impaired for nitrate+nitrite and a TMDL for the East Fork Yaak River is currently under development.
The East Fork Yaak River watershed is located in Lincoln County, Montana. Its headwaters are located in the Purcell Mountains west of Lake Koocanusa, and from the headwaters the stream flows westward 14.6 miles to its confluence with the Yaak River (Figure 1). The East Fork Yaak River watershed is composed of two 6th order subwatersheds: Basin Creek (170101030102), and East Fork Yaak River (170101030103). These fall within the larger Upper Yaak River 5th order watershed (1701010301), and the Yaak 4th order subbasin (17010103). The Yaak subbasin is located within the Kootenai 3rd order basin (170101) and the Kootenai-Pend Oreille-Spokane 2nd order subregion (1701), which is ultimately part of the Pacific Northwest 1st order Region (17). The East Fork Yaak River is the only impaired waterbody within the two 6th order subwatersheds that encompass its watershed on the 303(d) list (Figure 2).
In 2008, sediment TMDLs were completed for three streams in the Yaak River watershed to address sediment impairments on Seventeenmile Creek, Lap creek, and the West Fork Yaak River.
In 2010, the “Upper Clark Fork River Tributaries Sediment, Metals, and Temperature TMDLs and Framework for Water Quality Restoration” document was published to address water quality impairments within the Upper Clark Fork TMDL Planning Area. The Upper Clark Fork Phase 2 TMDLs, along with the Clark Fork River-Silver Bow Creek Metals TMDLs will address water quality impairments that were not originally addressed in the original Upper Clark Fork TMDLs document.
In 2010, the “Upper Clark Fork River Tributaries Sediment, Metals, and Temperature TMDLs and Framework for Water Quality Restoration” document was published to address water quality impairments within the Upper Clark Fork TMDL Planning Area. The Upper Clark Fork Phase 2 TMDLs, along with the Clark Fork River-Silver Bow Creek Metals TMDLs will address water quality impairments that were not originally addressed in the original Upper Clark Fork TMDLs document.
Project Purpose
The state of Montana monitors its waters and conducts water quality assessments to determine if waterbodies are supporting their designated uses. In the Upper Clark Fork Phase 2 project area, most streams in the project area are in the B-1 use classification category. The exceptions include 4 assessment units (AUs) used for public water supply which have A classifications and 2 AUs with C classifications. Silver Bow Creek is classified as I. A-closed waterbodies include: Hearst Lake drainage to the Lower Hearst Inlet and Fifer Gulch to the Anaconda city limits, Yankee Doodle Creek drainage to and including Moulton Reservoir, and Basin Creek drainage to and including the South Butte water supply reservoir. Warm Springs Creek near Warm Springs from the headwaters to Meyers Dam has a use classification of A-1. The Clark Fork River from Cottonwood Creek to the confluence with the Little Blackfoot River is classified as C-1. The same river is classified as C-2 from Warm springs Creek to Cottonwood Creek. All other streams are classified B-1.
Figure 1. Location of the Upper Clark Fork Phase 2 TPA
A-Closed streams must be maintained suitable for drinking, culinary, and food processing purposes after simple disinfection. Streams classified A-1 are suitable for drinking, culinary and food processing purposes after conventional treatment for removal of naturally present impurities, whereas waters classified B-1 must also be suitable for these same uses after conventional treatment for any impurities, whether naturally present or not. Both A-1 and B-1 classified waters must be suitable for bathing, swimming, and recreation; growth and propagation of salmonid fishes and associated aquatic life, waterfowl, and furbearers; and agricultural and industrial water supply. Streams classified as C-1 or C-2 do not have to be maintained suitable for drinking water. This is the main difference between the ‘B’ and ‘C’ classification. The ‘1’ and ‘2’ denotes the suitability of propagation of salmonid fishes and associated aquatic life with ‘1’ being suitable growth and ‘2’ being marginal growth.
Silver Bow Creek is an I classified water, which means that the goal of the State of Montana is for it to fully support all designated uses. Waters that are determined not to be supporting their designated uses are considered impaired and are placed on Montana’s list of impaired waters. Impaired waterbodies and their associated probable causes and sources of impairment are published within Montana’s biennial Water Quality Integrated Report.
[Click on map to enlarge]
Montana’s state law, and the federal Clean Water Act that was established by Congress in 1972, require development of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for all waterbodies impaired by a pollutant (e.g., metals, nutrients, sediment, temperature). A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards (think of a TMDL as a loading rate). TMDL development includes four main steps:
•Assessing the impaired waterbody’s existing water quality conditions and comparing those conditions to Montana’s water quality standards. During this step, measurable target values are set to help evaluate the stream’s condition in relation to the applicable water quality standards.
•Quantifying the amount of the pollutant contribution from each significant source
•Determining the total allowable load of the pollutant to the waterbody (i.e., the TMDL)
•Allocating the total allowable pollutant load into individual loads for each significant source (referred to as load allocations for nonpoint sources and wasteload allocations for point sources)
A TMDL document will be published for this project and will include information and results from each of these four steps. The document will also include recommended land management activities for improving water quality in this project area, and a monitoring strategy to evaluate progress toward attainment of water quality standards.
For more information about the development of TMDLs, please see the What is a TMDL? page on this site or download our pamphlet: Understanding the TMDL Process (580 kb).
Project Overview
Thirty-two waterbody segments in the Upper Clark Fork Phase 2 project area are listed in the “2012 Water Quality Integrated Report” as not supporting or partially supporting one or more designated uses. Table 1 below shows the waterbody segments that will be addressed in this document. Figures 2 and 3 below show the streams and/or stream segments involved in TMDL development for this project.
Figure 2. Streams for Sediment TMDL Development Figure 3. Streams for Nutirent TMDL Development
[Click on map to enlarge] [Click on map to enlarge]
Table 1. Water Quality Impairment Causes for the Upper Clark Fork Phase 2 Project Area Addressed within this Document
|
Waterbody & Location Description
|
Impairment Cause
|
Pollutant Category
|
Impairment Cause Status
|
Included in 2012 IR
|
|
CLARK FORK, Cottonwood Creek to Warm Springs
|
Alteration in stream-side or littoral vegetative covers
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Low flow alterations
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Sedimentation/Siltation
|
Sediment
|
Sediment TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
CLARK FORK, the Little Blackfoot River to Cottonwood Creek
|
Alteration in stream-side or littoral vegetative covers
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Physical substrate habitat alterations
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Low flow alterations
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Sedimentation/Siltation
|
Sediment
|
Sediment TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
CLARK FORK, Flint Creek to Little Blackfoot River
|
Alteration in stream-side or littoral vegetative covers
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Physical substrate habitat alterations
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Low flow alterations
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Sedimentation/Siltation
|
Sediment
|
Sediment TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
DEMPSEY CREEK, the national forest
boundary to mouth (Clark Fork River)
|
Nitrate/Nitrite
|
Nutrients
|
Not impaired based on 2012 assessment
|
Yes
|
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
DUNKLEBERG CREEK, T9N R12W S2 to mouth (Un-named Canal), T10N
R11W S30
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
GOLD CREEK, the forest boundary to
mouth (Clark Fork River)
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
Not impaired based on 2012 assessment
|
Yes
|
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
HOOVER CREEK, headwaters to Miller
Lake
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
HOOVER CREEK, Miller Lake to mouth
(Clark Fork River)
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
LOST CREEK, the south State Park
boundary to mouth (Clark Fork River)
|
Nitrate/Nitrite
|
Nutrients
|
Addressed by TN TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
PETERSON CREEK, headwaters to Jack
Creek
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)
|
Nutrients
|
Addressed by TN TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
PETERSON CREEK, Jack Creek to mouth (Clark Fork River)
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
SILVER BOW CREEK, headwaters to mouth (Clark Fork River)
|
Physical substrate habitat alterations
|
Not a Pollutant
|
Addressed by sediment TMDL in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Nitrates
|
Nutrients
|
Addressed by TN TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Sedimentation/Siltation
|
Sediment
|
Sediment TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
WILLOW CREEK, headwaters to T4N
R10W S30
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
Yes
|
|
WILLOW CREEK, T4N R10W S30 to
mouth (Mill Creek), T4N R10W S11
|
Phosphorus (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TP TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
Nitrogen (Total)
|
Nutrients
|
TN TMDL contained in this document
|
No
|
|
1. All waterbody segments within Montana’s Water Quality Integrated Report are indexed to the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)
2. Impairment causes not in the “2012 Water Quality Integrated Report” were recently identified and will be included in the 2014 Integrated Report.
|
Project Status
We anticipate having the TMDL document ready for stakeholder review by April 2014, and available for public comment in May 2014.
Project Contacts
|
TMDLs
|
Contact
|
Agency
|
Email
|
Phone
|
|
Project Coordinator and Nutrients Project Manager
|
Jordan Tollefson
|
DEQ
|
jtollefson@mt.gov
|
(406) 444-5341
|
Page Released: April 4, 2014
Last Updated: April 4, 2014
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