(‘s Student Copy Page Gallatin Watershed Overview Vital Statistics: From its headwaters in Yellowstone National Park, located in southwest Montana, the Gallatin River flows northward through the Gallatin Canyon to Three Forks, Montana, where it joins the Madison and Jefferson Rivers to form the headwaters of the Missouri River. The river was named by the Lewis and Clark Expedition on July 25, 1805, after President Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. Along its length, the Gallatin River flows swiftly through Yellowstone National Park and US Forest Service Land before entering the predominantly private agricultural and urban landscape of the Gallatin Valley. The land immediately adjacent to the river and along Mon- tana Highway 191 is private and used for residential homes, guest ranches, agriculture, ranching, and various tourist: related businesses including motels, restaurants, and gas stations. There is a large ski resort at the upper end of the West Fork, along with a community of residents and numerous ski and touristtelated businesses and accommoda- tions. Famous for its blue ribbon trout fishery and frequented by anglers from around the world, the river also accommo: dates rafters, hikers, campers, and sightseers on a yearround basis. In addition to the people that frequent this natural 1esource, the river corridor also provides habltat for a wide variety of wildlife: bear, moose, elk, deer, migrant and resident bird species, and native trout species, most notably cutthroat trout. Population growth, however, is placing great demands on many of Montana's waters, and increases the potential for degradation of their clean and clear character. The Gallatin Blue Water Task Force was established in the spring of 2000 as a volunteer water quality monitoring group. Since that time, the Task Force has collected monthly water uality information at seven locations along the Upper Gallatin River and two of its tributaries near the ski resort town of Big Sky, Montana. Two monitoring sites (Park Boundary and Dudley Creek) were chosen as reference sites because human impacts to water quality should be minimal there. The other sites were chosen to measure potential ‘human impacts to water quality in the Big Sky area over a long period of time. ‘The goals of the Blue Water Task Force are to collect rigorous water quality information every month for the Upper Gallatin River and to provide educational information to the public. The impetus for starting the program was concern about the lack of baseline water quality information and the potential for population growth to impact local water quality. Citizen volunteers, trained by the Blue Water Task Force, collect water quality information the second Saturday of every month, Data collected by the Task Force meet quality controls specified by the Montana Depart ment of Environmental Quality. Equipment used in the field is calibrated before each collection day, and EPA: approved procedures and proper standards and controls are used forall laboratory analyses, Information collected each month by Task Force volunteers represents a snapshot of the river water quality at the time the sample was collected. Current sampling protocols are not designed to record daily events that may affect water quality but rather long-term trends in water quality over time. © Project WET International Foundation, 2003‘Student Copy Page Se ae Gallatin Watershed Data Set Dates [Streams Water Ter (cc) Turbidi (FTU) Nitra lng DO. (mg/L) 10 Percent Saturation Park Boundary ipstream fest For nwnstream T udley Cr jownstrearh fark Boundary Ipstream, fest For nwnstreait jadley Cr. jownstreamh ark Boundary ipstream, fest For nwnstreaiy udley Ci yownstream Tk Boundary ream fest Fork wnstrealt ley Cr swhstreait joundary tream For wwnstreai T ley Cr mstreamh k Boundary stream For street ley Cr enstteath yundary ream For stream T ley Cr stream 8.0 0.02 a5, © Project WET Intemational Foundation, 2003 Can 80‘Student Copy Page (s ara es [Streams pH [Water Temp Turbidity [Nitrate —]D.O. Percent Saturation 1 Lm FEO [Park Boundary 81 [10.9 4 0.035, 6 faylor Fork x stream est For ownstreati udley Ck jownstreath rark Boundary aylor For ipstream_ jest Fork yownstream yadley Cr. ownstream ark Boundary faylor For stream est For jownstream rudley Cr jownstream "atk Boundary faylor For ipstream, fest Fork yownstream uudley Cr yownstream ark Boundary faylor For pstream est For jownstream mudley Ci. jownstream rk Boundary faylor For ipstream est For south Fork jownstream udley Cr. jownstream 2 Healthy Water, Healthy People Water Quality Educators Guide a al