Green MT Conservation District has a long term goal to create watershed councils on tributaries in the lower Clarke Fork River drainage in the District. All subject streams have existing watershed councils in place and Bull River is expected to form a council in the next several months. Each of the watersheds have been degraded over the years as a result of the construction of dams and reservoirs, road construction, mining, logging, grazing and various forms of streamside development. The cumulative impacts of such development have taken a toll on water quality and fisheries. The requested 319 funding, along with other agency funding and in-kind donations, will enable these councils to fund detailed stream assessment, develop restoration plans, TMDL plans, monitoring plans and provide for coordination / administration of each watershed council. The result will hopefully be the removal of these streams from the Montana impaired stream list. The major goal of this project is to restore the chemical, biological & physical integrity of the water quality of the referenced streams by reducing non-point source pollution, stabilizing stream banks, improving stream habitat and riparian vegetation in order to restore native fish populations and to generally improve water quality in order to remove them from the Montana impaired stream list.
