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 9. Smith River Drainage 



The Smith River drainage is tributary to the Missouri River southwest 

 of Great Falls, Montana. The watershed is defined by the Big Belt 

 Mountains to the west, the Little Belt Mountains to the east, and the 

 Castle Mountains and Elkhorn Ridge to the south. The DNR&C basin 

 designation is 41J, and the entire drainage is classified as B-D3 streams 

 (DHES). 



Ownership patterns within the Smith River drainage are extremely intermingled. 

 USPS ownership (Helena, Lewis and Clark) dominates the headwater areas, 

 but other ownerships are mixed along the foothills and valley bottoms. 

 Other prominent landowners include: Rankin Ranch Co., Sieben Livestock 

 Co., 71 Ranch, Burlington Northern, the state, and BLM. The numerous 

 areas of checkerboard ownership make cooperative land management decisions 

 very difficult. 



The Smith River has sustained cumulative man-caused impacts to water 

 quality. Temperature increases have resulted from irrigation return 

 flows (DF&G, 1973). Although annual sediment yield is moderately low 

 (SCS, Conservation Districts), several local sources of sedimentation 

 have been identified. These include hydrographic modifications (irrigation 

 diversions, rechanneling for a railroad route and other roads), heavy 

 livestock use adjacent to streambanks and overgrazing, logging practices, 

 old placer tailings, and cabin site development (DF&G, 1973). 



Past and present si Ivi cultural activities are affecting stream water 

 quality in the drainage. Extensive USFS harvests have occurred in the 

 headwaters area; impacts from non-USFS harvesting and road building 

 have occurred in several drainages. These problem areas (non-USFS 



