Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring in the Vermilion River
The Vermilion River is a major tributary to the Lower Clark Fork River in the northwest corner of Montana and is designated as critical habitat for migratory bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Historic placer, hydraulic, and dredge mining and large-scale clearcutting (via commercial forestry) in the upper portion of the Vermilion River drainage have degraded the river habitat, increased the magnitude of flooding in the lower drainage, and caused persistent imbalance between erosion and sediment deposition.
The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, working alongside the USDA Forest Service, Sanders County, and other partners, is developing a phased restoration effectiveness monitoring program. This program will provide survey and hydrologic data and compare the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of restored, unrestored, and reference (areas not impacted by mining) sections of the Vermilion River, encompassing surface water, groundwater, and riparian areas.
In Phase 1 (summer-fall 2023), the project included: (a) an uncrewed LiDAR and thermal imagery survey, (b) establishment of the monitoring network, and (c) the instrumentation of shallow groundwater sites (see Fig. 3).
During Phase 2 (summer 2024-spring 2025), the project team will collect physical, chemical, and biological data. Specifically, this will include: (a) groundwater levels and temperatures near the groundwater-surface water interface, (b) microbial community structure and function in the hyporheic zone and at the interface, and (c) evaluating aquatic ecosystem metabolism based on carbon production and mineralization. Samples and data collected in Phase 2 will come from areas including Grouse Reach (unrestored section, Project 4, designated “year 0” reach; see Fig. 2), Sims Reach (designated “year 3” reach, see Fig. 1), Miner’s Gulch Reach (designated “year 8” reach), Chapel Slide Reach (designated “year 12” reach), and a reference site located in the nearby West Fisher/Silver Butte area (see Figs. 4 and 5).
The Vermilion River Restoration Project has already completed three phases: the Chapel Slide Reach (Project 1, restored in 2012), the Miner's Gulch Reach (Project 2, restored in 2016), and the Sims Reach (Project 3, restored in 2021; see Fig. 1). Future restoration efforts, targeting the Grouse, Rocker, and 100-ton reaches, are planned for completion by 2026.
As the project progresses, this web page will be continually updated with data and products.
The Vermilion River is a major tributary to the Lower Clark Fork River in the northwest corner of Montana and is designated as critical habitat for migratory bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Historic placer, hydraulic, and dredge mining and large-scale clearcutting (via commercial forestry) in the upper portion of the Vermilion River drainage have degraded the river habitat, increased the magnitude of flooding in the lower drainage, and caused persistent imbalance between erosion and sediment deposition.
The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, working alongside the USDA Forest Service, Sanders County, and other partners, is developing a phased restoration effectiveness monitoring program. This program will provide survey and hydrologic data and compare the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of restored, unrestored, and reference (areas not impacted by mining) sections of the Vermilion River, encompassing surface water, groundwater, and riparian areas.
In Phase 1 (summer-fall 2023), the project included: (a) an uncrewed LiDAR and thermal imagery survey, (b) establishment of the monitoring network, and (c) the instrumentation of shallow groundwater sites (see Fig. 3).
During Phase 2 (summer 2024-spring 2025), the project team will collect physical, chemical, and biological data. Specifically, this will include: (a) groundwater levels and temperatures near the groundwater-surface water interface, (b) microbial community structure and function in the hyporheic zone and at the interface, and (c) evaluating aquatic ecosystem metabolism based on carbon production and mineralization. Samples and data collected in Phase 2 will come from areas including Grouse Reach (unrestored section, Project 4, designated “year 0” reach; see Fig. 2), Sims Reach (designated “year 3” reach, see Fig. 1), Miner’s Gulch Reach (designated “year 8” reach), Chapel Slide Reach (designated “year 12” reach), and a reference site located in the nearby West Fisher/Silver Butte area (see Figs. 4 and 5).
The Vermilion River Restoration Project has already completed three phases: the Chapel Slide Reach (Project 1, restored in 2012), the Miner's Gulch Reach (Project 2, restored in 2016), and the Sims Reach (Project 3, restored in 2021; see Fig. 1). Future restoration efforts, targeting the Grouse, Rocker, and 100-ton reaches, are planned for completion by 2026.
As the project progresses, this web page will be continually updated with data and products.