- 70 



4. Flint Creek Drainage 



The Flint Creek drainage in western Montana is a tributary of the Clark 

 Fork River. Its area (490 square miles) is defined by the Flint Creek 

 Range to the east, the John Long Mountains to the west, and the Anaconda 

 Range to the south. The mouth of Flint Creek is near Drummond, Montana. 

 The DNR&C drainage basin identification number for Flint Creek is 76GJ. 

 The DHES has classified most streams as B-Dj, except for South Boulder 

 Creek (A-Open-Di) and the Fred Burr Lake watershed (A-Closed). 



Approximately eight years ago (1969) the U.S. Forest Service instituted 

 a moratorium on timber harvests within the Philpsburg Ranger District. 

 As a result of this circumstance, the private timberlands in the Flint 

 Creek drainage have been logged to a great extent. However, due to land 

 ownership patterns, there was not a great deal of merchatable timber 

 on non-USFS lands. 



Reported impacts to water quality from timber harvesting have never been 

 quantified. There is a general lack of concern for stream protection and 

 a lack of knowledge regarding protective harvesting methods on the part 

 of contractors operating on the private timberlands (USFS - Philipsburg, 

 pers. comm.). Water quality impacts from such practices could range 

 from one-time to seasonal to continual. Table VI-B-4 delineates reported 

 problems; Plate I indicates locations. 



In the Flint Creek drainage there is a limited future potential for 

 impacts to stream water quality from silvicultural practices on non-USFS 

 lands. This is due in part to the physical characteristics of these 

 timberlands (gentle slopes, fairly dry watersheds). Since recent years 



