CHAPTER 4 

 FUTURE WATER NEEDS AND ACTIVITIES 



The Clark Fork Basin is blessed with an abundant natural 

 resource base that supports the forest products industry, 

 mining, hydropower, agriculture and ranching, recreation, and 

 many other uses. However, because these interests often 

 compete for land and water, careful and informed resource 

 management decisions must be made, particularly with regard 

 to future development in the basin. 



This chapter describes real and potential future water 

 needs in the basin and examines the question of how much 

 water is available for future development. One issue 

 currently in the forefront is that of instream flow. 

 Maintaining enough water in the Clark Fork at all times to 

 protect aquatic resources, water quality, public water 

 supplies, and hydropower needs is of vital concern. Another 

 issue is the resurgence of mining in the basin, touched off 

 by the current favorable market price of gold. Such a boom 

 could place more water demands on the Clark Fork and its 

 tributaries, not only for the mines themselves, but also for 

 the towns that may grow as a result of mining activity. 

 These issues and others are discussed below. 



WATER RESERVATIONS 



Introduction 



As discussed in Chapter 2, Montana's 1973 Water Use Act 

 allows public entities, such as conservation districts, 

 municipalities, counties, and state and federal agencies to 

 reserve water for future uses. These include diversionary 

 and consumptive uses as well as instream flows for the 

 protection of fish, wildlife, and water quality. Some of 

 these public entities may seek water reservations to satisfy 

 future demands for water in the Clark Fork Basin. Potential 

 consumptive and instream flow needs in the basin are 

 discussed below. 



Consumptive Water Needs 



Potential future consumptive water needs in the Clark 

 Fork Basin include water for domestic and municipal supplies, 

 waste disposal, agricultural uses such as stock watering and 

 irrigation, and for industry (such as mining) . At this 

 writing, none of the communities in the basin has filed plans 

 to expand either its municipal water supply system or its 



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