U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Fact Sheet 027-99

August 1999

Montana

Montana has a wide variety of natural

resources. Conflicting demands to

develop or preserve these resources

result in considerable controversy

over resource management policies

and decisions. For more than 100

years, the U.S. Geological Survey

(USGS) has worked closely with

Federal, State, Tribal, and local

interests to provide scientific knowledge and understanding of the natural

resources of Montana. This information is vital for wise development,

management, and protection of those

resources.

Abandoned Mine Lands

Many abandoned or inactive mines

are on or adjacent to public lands.

Wastes from many of these abandoned mine lands (AML) affect

resources on public lands. In 1995, an

interdepartmental strategy was

developed to address the remediation

of affected areas on public lands. The

strategy uses a watershed approach,

and it is focused on developing

methods to understand the processes

that release and transport acid and

metals to streams and the subsequent

response of biological communities.

The USGS is working closely with

the U.S. Forest Service and the

Bureau of Land Management to

develop efficient and cost-effective

methods to evaluate effects and to

formulate plans for remediation. A

pilot AML study was initiated in 1997

in the Boulder River watershed in

southwestern Montana. This watershed was selected by a consensus of

State and Federal interests based on

existing information from various

sources, including the Montana

Bureau of Mines and Geology.

Premining environmental conditions,

current contamination and environmental conditions, and the natural

processes that control contaminant

transport and fate are being assessed

through integrated application of

geology, geochemistry, geophysics,

hydrology, water chemistry, biology,

geospatial analysis, and digital-data

collection and management. The

assessments are using existing data

and new data acquired using traditional and recently developed technologies. Interdisciplinary scientific

expertise combined with experience

working with organizations at Federal, State, and local levels enables

the USGS to make a unique contribution toward remediation of adverse

effects of abandoned mines.

In the Boulder River watershed,

concentrations of cadmium, copper,

lead, and zinc in water and sediment

commonly are elevated downstream

from three large inactive mines

(fig. 1). Although the granitic rocks in

the basin contain substantial buffering

capacity to neutralize much of the

acid generated, metals released from

adit drainage and episodic runoff

from mine wastes adversely affect

water quality, aquatic habitat, and

aquatic life within the watershed.

Effects of Whirling Disease on

Trout in the Northern Rockies

Whirling disease has severely affected trout populations in Montana.

The disease is caused by a parasite

that devours the cartilage in the skulls

of young trout, causing them to swim

erratically and, eventually, die or

succumb to predation. Recently,

several studies were initiated by

USGS scientists with the Montana

Cooperative Fishery Research Unit in

cooperation with Montana State

University, Montana Fish, Wildlife

and Parks, and the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service.

Studies of the effects of whirling

disease on brown trout in the Ruby

River and Poindexter Slough and on

rainbow trout in the Missouri River

and its tributaries near Helena are

providing key information needed by

resource managers to help maintain

fish populations. Laboratory studies

of whirling disease at the Wild Trout

Research Laboratory at Montana

State University are analyzing the

effects of trout age and parasite dose

on development of whirling disease.

Young trout, especially those less

than 9 weeks old, are most affected

by whirling disease, and the severity

of disease is directly related to

dosage. Thus, increasing the age of

the trout at first exposure to the

disease, or reducing the number of

disease spores, will lessen the

disease’s impacts.

Figure 1. Tailings deposited in the

valley of High Ore Creek in the

Boulder River watershed, Montana.
science for a changing world

National Water-Quality

Assessment

In 1991, the USGS began a program

to assess the water-quality conditions

for a large part of the Nation’s

freshwater streams and aquifers. The

overall goal of this National WaterQuality Assessment Program

(NAWQA) is to increase the scientific

understanding of surface-water and

ground-water quality and the effects

of human activities and natural

factors on water-quality conditions,

and to provide information on how

those conditions are changing with

time. Two studies that include parts of

Montana were initiated in 1997 as

part of this program. The Northern

Rockies Intermontane Basins study

includes the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille

and Spokane River basins in northwestern Montana, northern Idaho, and

eastern Washington. The Yellowstone

River Basin study includes the entire

basin of the Yellowstone River in

Montana and Wyoming.

Water-quality issues for the Northern

Rockies Intermontane Basins

NAWQA study are trace metals and

nutrients in surface and ground water,

degradation of water quality in urban

and suburban areas, sedimentation,

and the effects of these factors on

aquatic biota. Water-quality issues for

the Yellowstone River Basin

NAWQA study are trace elements and

toxic compounds in surface and

ground water, salinity, sedimentation,

and the effects of these factors on

aquatic biota. For both studies, a

high-intensity phase of data collection

will be conducted through 2001 to

describe existing conditions, followed

by a low-intensity phase to determine

trends in water-quality conditions.

Geographic Data Programs and

Partnerships

The USGS cooperates with Federal,

State, and local agencies to coordinate and share the cost of geographic

data production in Montana. In one

such agreement with the Bureau of

Reclamation, the USGS completed

digital scanning of topographic maps

statewide. To supplement the scanned

topographic maps, the USGS also

produced Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQ’s) (fig. 2). DOQ’s are

scanned aerial photographs that can

be loaded into a Geographic Information System (GIS) and used with

other data layers for analysis and

geographic applications. These data

will enable Federal, State, and local

agencies to accomplish joint landmanagement responsibilities.

The USGS will support the Blackfoot

Challenge and Missouri Basin

projects. Both projects will involve

the production of DOQ’s and 10-

meter Digital Elevation Models

(DEM’s). DEM’s show topographic

relief of the landscape. These data

will become part of a regionwide

assessment that may contribute to a

better understanding of the unique

recreational, ecological, and historical

characteristics of Montana.

The USGS is cooperating with the

Confederated Salish & Kootenai

Tribes of the Flathead Nation to

produce 10-meter DEM’s that will aid

the Tribes’ forestry department in

providing timber-sale-contract maps

and in determining numerous landform features.

Sharing Information Resources

The USGS is using advances in

technology to obtain scientific

information and to share it with a

wide audience. Streamflow data are

collected by the USGS at more than

200 sites in Montana in cooperation

with Federal, State, Tribal, and local

agencies. Real-time data for more

than 100 of these sites are available

on the Internet (fig. 3). Historical

streamflow data, some dating back to

1890, for more than 800 sites also are

available on the Internet. The realtime and historical data are used by

recreationists, resource managers,

emergency personnel, and the general

public for numerous purposes.

In partnership with the Montana

Geographic Information Council, the

Montana GIS Interagency Technical

Working Group, the Montana Local

Government GIS Coalition, and the

Montana Natural Resource Information System, the USGS shares spatial

data, provides technical assistance,

and helps develop directions for GIS

in the future. The USGS also is

working with the Greater Yellowstone

Area Data Clearinghouse to develop

consistent data layers across the

region, allow sharing of information,

avoid duplication, and focus on

common missing data sets. The

clearinghouse is at Montana State

University, Mountain Research

Center.

Figure 2. Digital Orthophoto

Quadrangle image.

Figure 3. Streamflow monitoring sites

in Montana. Sites with real-time data

are shown in red.
Montana

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The natural resources of the Greater

Yellowstone Ecosystem are being

threatened by residential growth,

commercial development, and

recreational activities. Of immediate

concern are the unique hot springs of

the central plateau, the quality of

headwater streams and lakes, and the

integrity of regional wildlife populations and biological communities.

USGS scientists, in cooperation with

Federal and State biologists of the

Interagency Grizzly Bear Study

Team, are studying grizzly bears, a

threatened species, in the Greater

Yellowstone Ecosystem. Scientists

are monitoring grizzly survival,

reproduction, and habitats using

modern techniques and tools, such as

global positioning systems, radio

telemetry, and DNA fingerprinting,

and are studying important foods

such as whitebark pine seeds, army

cutworm moths, cutthroat trout, and

elk and other large animals. Researchers also are evaluating the

impacts of human activities on

grizzly bears. Research results are

important to park managers, State and

Federal land managers, the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service, and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, a

coordinating group of State and

Federal resource managers. Grizzly

bear research and information are

essential components of the recovery

process.

USGS scientists are coordinating a 5-

year program to study the ecology of

bison and the role of brucellosis in

the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Ecological studies are intended to

provide information for the long-term

management of bison (fig. 4). Brucellosis research provides key information on the disease, including the

methods of transmission between

bison, the risk of transmission to

cattle, and the safety of livestock

vaccines for wildlife species. Updated

findings are provided regularly to the

Greater Yellowstone Interagency

Brucellosis Committee.

The USGS is building a pilot National Geologic Map database at the

scale of 1:100,000 for the Greater

Yellowstone Area. This is a cooperative effort among the USGS, the

National Park Service, the U.S. Forest

Service, the States of Idaho, Montana,

and Wyoming, and county and local

agencies. Geologic map data are

being compiled with the aid and

cooperation of the Montana Bureau

of Mines and Geology. These data

will be combined with other spatial

databases for wildlife habitat, geologic hazards, and the effect of the

rocks, geochemistry, and sources of

water upon the fauna of the region

and the flora on which many animal

species feed. The research will help

Federal, State, and local land managers make informed decisions about

the environment in their charge.

Natural Resources of Developing

Areas

The availability, utilization, and

protection of natural resources are of

concern in rapidly developing areas

of Montana such as Ravalli,

Missoula, Lewis and Clark, Gallatin,

and Park Counties. In particular, local

residents and resource managers are

concerned about the availability,

quality, and sustainability of the water

resource. The USGS is involved in

cooperative studies with city, county,

and State officials and citizens groups

in several of these areas to describe

surface-water and ground-water

resources and to determine the

current and potential effects of

development on those resources.

State-of-the-art hydrologic techniques

are being used to determine groundwater flow paths, interactions between ground water and surface

water, ground-water age, and the

sources and transport characteristics

of potentially toxic chemicals. These

studies provide residents and resource

managers with the scientific information necessary to make water-development and land-use decisions.

Detailed geologic mapping, conducted by the USGS and the Montana

Bureau of Mines and Geology

through the National Cooperative

Geologic Mapping Program, provides

information vital for assessing the

potential for, and possible consequences of, mineral- and energyresource development and the potential for geologic hazards, such as

earthquakes and landslides. The

geologic mapping also provides

information complementary to the

hydrologic studies, particularly in

Lewis and Clark County. USGS

scientists work closely with residents

and local groups and agencies to

provide data for specific needs or

concerns.

The USGS Minerals Program Headwaters Project will provide mineralization, alteration, and geoenvironmental data and interpretations that

are essential for effective land

stewardship. The project will develop

digital geoscience databases applicable to local and regional questions,

advance the understanding of mineral

resources in a geologic and environmental context, establish geologic

context for ecosystem structure and

function, and forecast the types and

locations of mineral exploration and

development.

Figure 4. Bison in Yellowstone

National Park. (Photograph courtesy

of the National Park Service.)
Printed on recycled paper

USGS office locations USGS State Representative

The USGS has 101

employees in Montana

Billings

Missoula

Bozeman

Helena

Kalispell

West Glacier

Fort Peck

3162 Bozeman Avenue

Helena, MT 59601

(406) 457-5900

Fax: (406) 457-5990

USGS Home Page

http://www.usgs.gov

Reports and products

1-888-ASK-USGS

The USGS, in partnership with the

University of Montana, is determining the baseline geochemical characteristics of the Upper Blackfoot River

watershed as part of a regional and

national geochemical assessment

program. The watershed includes the

area of a proposed gold mine about 8

miles east of Lincoln near the

confluence of the Blackfoot River and

Landers Fork. The information will

describe the hydrology and geochemistry of surface water, ground water,

and sediment. Results to date indicate

a significant interaction between

surface water and ground water in

some reaches of both the Blackfoot

River and Landers Fork, which

subsequently affects water quality.

The chemistry of water in Landers

Fork appears to be affected by the ore

body, although concentrations of all

constituents are relatively small

compared to most water-quality

standards.

Upper Clark Fork Basin

Water quality in the Clark Fork basin

above Missoula has been adversely

affected by the mining, milling, and

smelting of copper, gold, silver, and

lead ores. The waste materials, or

tailings, are rich in heavy metals, and

have been distributed over extensive

areas of the flood plain by several

large floods in the 1890’s and early

1900’s. The tailings are dispersed

throughout the channel and floodplain sediments, and are a source of

continued metal loading to the river.

As a result, metal concentrations in

the river are elevated, have periodically caused fish kills, and have

contaminated a public water supply at

Milltown. The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and the

State of Montana are evaluating

remedial alternatives for the entire

basin above Missoula. The USGS, in

cooperation with the EPA, has

monitored water quality in the Clark

Fork basin since 1985 and has

quantified annual suspended-sediment and trace-metal loads at various

locations in the basin in order to

identify the most important source

areas. Metals in bed sediment and

biota also have been monitored since

1986. An investigation of geomorphology, flood-plain tailings (fig. 5),

channel migration, and metals

transport rates was completed in

1998. Scientific studies of this large,

complex hydrologic system provide

an understanding of past and present

conditions and the knowledge to

enable resource managers to make

informed decisions regarding largescale remediation.

Growth and Survival Temperature

Criteria for Bull Trout

Bull trout, in decline throughout the

Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest, recently were listed as a threatened species. The bull trout requires

very cold water for survival and

growth, but its precise temperature

requirements are not known. USGS

scientists at the Montana Cooperative

Fishery Research Unit recently

initiated studies in cooperation with

Montana State University and the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to

determine the water-temperature

requirements for bull trout. Laboratory trials at the Bozeman Fish

Technology Center will examine the

effects of a range of water temperatures—particularly those that might

occur during late summer—on the

growth rate and growth efficiency of

bull trout. The information is important to resource managers involved in

bull trout restoration efforts and to

industries involved in naturalresource development, such as the

timber industry.

Figure 5. Tailings deposit on the Clark

Fork flood plain.