STUDY NUMBER : 4.2 



ORGANIZATION ; Montana Department of Health and Environmental 

 Sciences (MDHES) - Water Quality Bureau 



TITLE OF STUDY ; Upper Clark Fork River Monitoring 



CONTACT(S) : Steve Pilcher - Water Quality Bureau Chief - 



444-2406 



Loren Bahls - Project Leader - 444-2406 



Erich Weber - Water Quality Specialist - 444-2406 



OBJECTIVE ; Assess the effectiveness of the Warm Springs Ponds 

 treatment system and evaluate water quality conditions through 

 reaches of the Clark Fork River above confluence of Rock Creek. 



DURATION : 1976 - Indefinite 



CURRENT STATUS ; The Clark Fork River station at Deer Lodge (STOR- 

 ET 1=2MTHDWQ 35260917) is the principal Montana Department of 

 Health and Environmental Sciences ambient water quality station 

 on the river and the only comprehensive long-term water quality 

 station in Montana operated exclusively by the State. Parameters 

 at this station include; discharge, TSS and turbidity, lab pH, 

 alkalinity, hardness, field pH, temperature, specific conduc- 

 tance, common ions, algal nutrients, and selected metals (As, 

 Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn — "total recoverable"). Samples have 

 been collected sporadically since March, 1976 and monthly since 

 January, 1978. 



The following five stations have been sampled monthly since 

 December, 1982; Clark Fork River above the Little 

 Blackfoot River; Clark Fork River below Warm Springs Creek; Ana- 

 conda Company Warm Springs Pond 2 discharge; Warm Springs Creek 

 at mouth; Mill-Willow Creek Bypass at mouth. Parameters include 

 turbidity, temperature, and pH, specific conductance, sulfate, 

 Cd, Cu and Zn (total recoverable). 



Silver Bow Creek at the Frontage Road above the Warm Springs 

 Ponds has been sampled monthly since January, 1984, for the same 

 parameters as the five stations in the paragraph above. 



Monthly monitoring will continue at all of the above sta- 

 tions. Starting in August, 1985, five additional stations were 

 sampled for a total of twelve stations: 



01 Silver Bow Creek below Colorado Tailings 



02 Silver Bow Creek at Ramsey 



03 Silver Bow Creek at Frontage Road 



04 Warm Springs Pond 2 Discharge 



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