Long-Term Surface-Water Monitoring in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin Active
Documenting channel conditions during water-quality sampling
at Silver Bow Creek below Blacktail Creek at Butte, MT
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has collected water-quality samples from selected stream sites upstream from Missoula since 1985.
The USGS began collecting surface water-quality data in the upper Clark Fork Basin in 1985 to establish baseline metal concentrations and loads and was later expanded in 1992 in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to provide consistent long-term data at a network of sites. The sampling was initiated in response to elevated trace-element concentrations and the designation of areas in the upper Clark Fork basin by the USEPA as National Priorities List Superfund sites. This water-quality information aids the public and local, State, Federal, and Tribal governments in assessing risks to aquatic resources, facilitating resource-management decisions, and evaluating the effectiveness of remediation. In addition to water-quality data, the long-term monitoring program also obtains daily records of streamflow, suspended sediment, and turbidity at selected sites, as well as trace-element data for biota and bed sediment.
The Clark Fork originates near Warm Springs in western Montana at the confluence of Silver Bow and Warm Springs Creeks. Along the 148-mile reach of stream from Silver Bow Creek in Butte to the Clark Fork near Missoula, six major tributaries enter: Blacktail Creek, Warm Springs Creek, Little Blackfoot River, Flint Creek, Rock Creek, and Blackfoot River. Large-scale mining and smelting were prevalent land uses in the upper basin for more than 100 years but are now either discontinued or substantially smaller in scale.
Deposits of copper, gold, silver, and lead ores were extensively mined, milled, and smelted in the drainages of Silver Bow and Warm Springs Creeks from about the 1860s to the 1980s. Moderate- and small-scale mining also occurred in the basins of most of the major tributaries to the Clark Fork. Tailings derived from past mineral processing commonly contain large quantities of trace elements such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc. Tailings have been eroded; mixed with stream sediment; transported downstream; and deposited in stream channels, on flood plains, in the Warm Springs Ponds, and where the former Milltown Reservoir was located (Andrews, 1987). The widely dispersed tailings continue to be remobilized, transported, and deposited along the stream channel and flood plain, especially during high flows. The occurrence of elevated trace-element concentrations in water and bed sediment can pose a potential risk to aquatic biota and human health (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004; Montana Department of Environmental Quality, 2012).
Below are data related to this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Spatiotemporal variations in copper, arsenic, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in surface water, fine-grained bed sediment, and aquatic macroinvertebrates in the upper Clark Fork Basin, western Montana—A 20-year synthesis, 1996–2016
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2009 through September 2010) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Clark Fork basin, Montana
Estimated loads of suspended sediment and selected trace elements transported through the Clark Fork basin, Montana, in selected periods before and after the breach of Milltown Dam (water years 1985-2009)
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2008 through September 2009) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork basin, Montana
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2007 through September 2008) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Estimated Loads of Suspended Sediment and Selected Trace Elements Transported through the Milltown Reservoir Project Area Before and After the Breaching of Milltown Dam in the Upper Clark Fork Basin, Montana, Water Year 2008
Influence of remediation in a mine-impacted river: Metal trends over large spatial and temporal scales
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2006 through September 2007) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Estimated Loads of Suspended Sediment and Selected Trace Elements Transported through Milltown Reservoir in the Upper Clark Fork Basin, Montana, Water Years 2004-07
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2005 through September 2006) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Influence of in-stream diel concentration cycles of dissolved trace metals on acute toxicity to one-year-old cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi)
Diel changes in water chemistry in an arsenic-rich stream and treatment-pond system
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2004 through September 2005) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Upper Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has collected water-quality samples from selected stream sites upstream from Missoula since 1985.
The USGS began collecting surface water-quality data in the upper Clark Fork Basin in 1985 to establish baseline metal concentrations and loads and was later expanded in 1992 in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to provide consistent long-term data at a network of sites. The sampling was initiated in response to elevated trace-element concentrations and the designation of areas in the upper Clark Fork basin by the USEPA as National Priorities List Superfund sites. This water-quality information aids the public and local, State, Federal, and Tribal governments in assessing risks to aquatic resources, facilitating resource-management decisions, and evaluating the effectiveness of remediation. In addition to water-quality data, the long-term monitoring program also obtains daily records of streamflow, suspended sediment, and turbidity at selected sites, as well as trace-element data for biota and bed sediment.
The Clark Fork originates near Warm Springs in western Montana at the confluence of Silver Bow and Warm Springs Creeks. Along the 148-mile reach of stream from Silver Bow Creek in Butte to the Clark Fork near Missoula, six major tributaries enter: Blacktail Creek, Warm Springs Creek, Little Blackfoot River, Flint Creek, Rock Creek, and Blackfoot River. Large-scale mining and smelting were prevalent land uses in the upper basin for more than 100 years but are now either discontinued or substantially smaller in scale.
Deposits of copper, gold, silver, and lead ores were extensively mined, milled, and smelted in the drainages of Silver Bow and Warm Springs Creeks from about the 1860s to the 1980s. Moderate- and small-scale mining also occurred in the basins of most of the major tributaries to the Clark Fork. Tailings derived from past mineral processing commonly contain large quantities of trace elements such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc. Tailings have been eroded; mixed with stream sediment; transported downstream; and deposited in stream channels, on flood plains, in the Warm Springs Ponds, and where the former Milltown Reservoir was located (Andrews, 1987). The widely dispersed tailings continue to be remobilized, transported, and deposited along the stream channel and flood plain, especially during high flows. The occurrence of elevated trace-element concentrations in water and bed sediment can pose a potential risk to aquatic biota and human health (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004; Montana Department of Environmental Quality, 2012).
- Data
Below are data related to this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Spatiotemporal variations in copper, arsenic, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in surface water, fine-grained bed sediment, and aquatic macroinvertebrates in the upper Clark Fork Basin, western Montana—A 20-year synthesis, 1996–2016
The legacy of mining-related contamination in the upper Clark Fork Basin created an extensive longitudinal gradient in metal concentrations, extending from Silver Bow Creek to Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho. Downstream metal concentrations continue to decline, but, despite such improvements, the ecological health of much of the river remains uncertain. Understanding the long-term consequences of the ClaAuthorsSara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Michelle I. HornbergerFilter Total Items: 51Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2009 through September 2010) 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. 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 of western Montana, with emphasis on trace elements associatAuthorsKent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica DykeEstimated loads of suspended sediment and selected trace elements transported through the Clark Fork basin, Montana, in selected periods before and after the breach of Milltown Dam (water years 1985-2009)
Milltown Reservoir is a National Priorities List Superfund site in the upper Clark Fork basin of western Montana where sediments enriched in trace elements from historical mining and ore processing have been deposited since the completion of Milltown Dam in 1908. Milltown Dam was breached on March 28, 2008, as part of Superfund remediation activities to remove the dam and excavate contaminated sedAuthorsSteven K. Sando, John H. LambingWater-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2008 through September 2009) and statistical summaries of long-term 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 long-term monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin; additional water samples were collected in the Clark Fork basin from sites near Missoula downstream to near the confluence of the Clark Fork and Flathead River as part of a supplemental sampling program. The sampling programs were conAuthorsKent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica DykeWater-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2007 through September 2008) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to near Missoula as part of a long-term monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin; additional water samples were collected in the Clark Fork basin from sites near Missoula downstream to near the confluence of the Clark Fork and Flathead River as part of a supplemental sampling program. The sampling programs were conducted inAuthorsKent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica DykeEstimated Loads of Suspended Sediment and Selected Trace Elements Transported through the Milltown Reservoir Project Area Before and After the Breaching of Milltown Dam in the Upper Clark Fork Basin, Montana, Water Year 2008
This report presents estimated daily and cumulative loads of suspended sediment and selected trace elements transported during water year 2008 at three streamflow-gaging stations that bracket the Milltown Reservoir project area in the upper Clark Fork basin of western Montana. Milltown Reservoir is a National Priorities List Superfund site where sediments enriched in trace elements from historicalAuthorsJohn H. Lambing, Steven K. SandoInfluence of remediation in a mine-impacted river: Metal trends over large spatial and temporal scales
The effectiveness of mine-waste remediation at the Clark Fork River Superfund site in western Montana, USA, was examined by monitoring metal concentrations in resident biota (caddisfly, Hydropsyche spp.) and bed sediment over a 19-year period. Remediation activities began in 1990 and are ongoing. In the upper 45 km, reduced Cu and Cd concentrations at some sites were coincident with remediation evAuthorsMichelle I. Hornberger, S. N. Luoma, M.L. Johnson, M. HolyoakWater-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2006 through September 2007) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to below Milltown Reservoir as part of a long-term monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin; additional water-quality samples were collected in the Clark Fork basin from sites near Milltown Reservoir downstream to near the confluence of the Clark Fork and Flathead River as part of a supplemental sampling program. The samplinAuthorsKent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica DykeEstimated Loads of Suspended Sediment and Selected Trace Elements Transported through Milltown Reservoir in the Upper Clark Fork Basin, Montana, Water Years 2004-07
The purpose of this report is to present estimated daily and annual loads of suspended sediment and selected trace elements for water years 2004-07 at two sites upstream and one site downstream from Milltown Reservoir. Milltown Reservoir is a National Priorities List Superfund site in the upper Clark Fork basin of western Montana where sediments enriched in trace elements from historical mining anAuthorsJohn H. Lambing, Steven K. SandoWater-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2005 through September 2006) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to below Milltown Reservoir as part of a long-term monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin; additional water-quality samples were collected in the Clark Fork basin from sites near Milltown Reservoir downstream to near the confluence of the Clark Fork and Flathead River as part of a supplemental sampling program. The samplinAuthorsKent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica DykeInfluence of in-stream diel concentration cycles of dissolved trace metals on acute toxicity to one-year-old cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi)
Extrapolating results of laboratory bioassays to streams is difficult, because conditions such as temperature and dissolved metal concentrations can change substantially on diel time scales. Field bioassays conducted for 96 h in two mining‐affected streams compared the survival of hatchery‐raised, metal‐näive westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) exposed to dissolved (0.1‐μm filtrAuthorsDavid A. Nimick, David D. Harper, Aida Farag, Tom Cleasby, Elizabeth MacConnell, D. SkaarDiel changes in water chemistry in an arsenic-rich stream and treatment-pond system
Arsenic concentrations are elevated in surface waters of the Warm Springs Ponds Operable Unit (WSPOU), located at the head of the upper Clark Fork River Superfund site, Montana, USA. Arsenic is derived from historical deposition of smelter emissions (Mill and Willow Creeks) and historical mining and milling wastes (Silver Bow Creek). Although long-term monitoring has characterized the general seasAuthorsC.H. Gammons, T.M. Grant, David A. Nimick, S.R. Parker, M.D. DeGrandpreWater-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2004 through September 2005) and statistical summaries of data for streams in the Upper Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to below Missoula as part of a long-term monitoring program, conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to characterize aquatic resources in the upper Clark Fork basin of western Montana. Sampling sites were located on the Clark Fork, six major tributaries, and three smaller tributaries. Water-quality saAuthorsKent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica Dyke - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.