CRC points out areas of concern, ecosystem delicacy during water report

Water data from the Clearwater Resource Council and the Seeley Lake Sewer District showed an area of concern near Riverview Drive Bridge and highlighted how sediments from burn scars and dirt roads can have an impact on the area's rivers and lakes.

Clearwater Resource Council board members Jon Haufler and Karen Williams presented the information to an audience at the Barn on Jan. 9. While much of the data is complex and more analysis is needed, the group has a good understanding of where water quality concerns exist.

There are plenty of metrics used, whether dissolved oxygen, temperature, e coli numbers and the secchi depth, or the clarity of the lake. CRC just recently completed a project sponsored by the Department of Recreation, known as the Clearwater Watershed Restoration Plan.

Multiple groups have gotten more and more involved as monitoring programs started. CRC started secchi disk studies in the early 2000, followed by water temperature and dissolved oxygen in 2010.

Stream studies started in a few creeks around Seeley Lake in 2010 also. Starting in 2020, CRC studied lake nutrients like e coli and nitrates. Neither Williams or Haufler are aquatic ecologists, but they presented findings from experts.

"What we really are concerned about and trying to understand is what kind of increased sediments and nutrients had been caused by our human activities in the valley," Haufler said. "We're going to have an influence on the streams and the lakes, but we want to try to know what we are adding to that."

The Chain Effect

With the shape of the Clearwater Valley, much of the water from the high country flows through the chain of lakes - From Lake Alva to Elbow Lake - making some lakes more prone to unhealthy ecosystems from changes upstream.

Lake Alva and Lake Inez had some of the highest levels of clarity, dissolved oxygen and temperature - all factors used in determining aquatic health. Seeley Lake and Salmon Lake have lower, but good water quality.

Streams across Montana have different levels of quality, with an "A" classification as the most pristine lakes and rivers. The Clearwater Valley is all generally under the "B" category, or the second highest quality.

The lowest water quality in the area is Big Sky Lake, which is isolated from the rest of the chain of lakes. Dissolved oxygen and temperature do not match to give the fish their "sweet spot" or where dissolved oxygen and temperature are ideal, Williams said.

"Alva is sort of like a pristine lake, and big sky sort of shows the opposite trend," Williams said. "Once you get below about eight meters of depth, you don't have enough dissolved oxygen to support aquatic life, and at the top of the water column where there is dissolved oxygen, it is too warm."

All the lakes fall in between the oligotrophic and eutrophic categories, meaning they are neither lacking nutrients and are not overwhelmed by minerals and lack clarity.

E Coli and Nitrates

In e coli, the state needs a 5-number metric mean for an official rating, but one reading From CRC did show above the legal guideline near the Riverview Bridge. Haufler said that area has been a concern, but there is no known cause.

"It's interesting that it is a consistently higher level at the Riverview bridge than just up at the Lake itself," Haufler said. "So something is happening in that little narrow stretch of where the river comes out of the lake."

Other areas of concern include the groundwater readings from a well near Lindey's Steakhouse, which flow westerly into the bay. Nitrates, which show signs of septic leachate, are high near the bay.

Williams noted that the groundwater around Seeley Lake varies highly based on precipitation for the year. She noticed a 75-foot difference between two U.S. Geologic wells in the Double Arrow Ranch.

Streams with high levels of nutrients that the CRC will look into are Rice, Deer, Seeley and Morrell Creeks.

Changing conditions

One thing cautioned by both Williams and Haufler was that the quality of the water can be different based on the time of the year and get affected by natural events like wildfires. When the group recorded nitrogen levels this fall, they noted a much higher figure than previous years.

"In august of 23, just upstream was the Colt Fire, and then a lot of rain in August washed a lot of material from that fire down," Haufler said.

Other figures like temperature and dissolved oxygen worsen in the fall, but generally stay at levels suitable for wildlife. With the factor of climate change, Haufler said the future of the area must be closely monitored to ensure the survival of Bull Trout, a cold-water fish.

Haufler said these data points need to be studied more with more years of survey. The group hopes to add in new technology like Synthetic E-DNA, which can help Identify septic leachate. Williams said conservation groups for Whitefish Lake are currently using the technology.

The group also hopes to get a better understanding of the water under the town, which Haufler said might be contaminated.