UPPER CLASK FORK RIVER DRAINAGE 



Boundaries: Headwaters to Bitterroot River 



Drainage size: 9,003 square miles 



Main stem length: 140 miles 



Tributaries: Little Blackfoot River, Flint Creek, Blackfoot 



River, Rock Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, Bitterroot River 



Cities/Towns: Deer Lodge, Drummond, Clinton, Bonner, Milltown, 



Missoula 



Access: Interstate 90 



From the pristine peaks of the Bitterroot mountains to the 

 mining district of Butte and Anaconda, the headwaters of the Clark 

 Fork River and its tributaries are a study in diverse topography, 

 land use and resource values. Elevations vary from 3,000 to 

 10,000 feet in this drainage which includes the Anaconda, Flint 

 Creek, Sapphire, Garnet and Bitterroot mountains. Entering the 

 Clark Fork above Missoula, the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers 

 form the upper Clark Fork River drainage (Figure 4). Over 

 8,000 square miles of western Montana is drained by the upper 

 Clark Fork River drainage including wilderness areas, alfalfa 

 fields, ghost towns, municipalities, and abandoned mines. Four 

 wilderness areas, the Selway-Bitterroot, Bob Marshall, Lincoln- 

 Scapegoat, and Anaconda-Pintler occupy the headwaters of many 

 major Clark Fork tributaries. The Clark Fork main stem from 

 Garrison to Missoula is bordered by a railroad bed and interstate 

 highway system. 



"We have recognized the opportunity -- indeed 

 the responsibility -- to bring the Clark Fork 

 back to life. We can feel proud that, in 

 Montana's second century, the Clark Fork will 

 gradually be restored to what a river should 

 be -- a source of life and of inspiration to 

 those whose lives touch it." 



Gov. Ted Schwinden, 1986 



The headwaters of the Clark Fork River form in the copper 

 mining and smelting district of Butte and Anaconda. For more than 

 70 years, the upper Clark Fork received untreated wastewater from 

 mine tailings and smelting activities. These heavy, metal-laden 

 wastes which have accumulated along the banks of this once 

 beautiful river are still visible today. 



One component of MDFWP's commitment to the Clark Fork River 

 was the 1986 request for instream flow reservations in the main 

 stem and its upper tributaries including Flint Creek, the Little 

 Blackfoot River, and Harvey Creek. Instream flows for fish, 

 wildlife, and recreation have been recognized as a beneficial use 

 of Montana waters since passage of the Water Use Act in 1975. The 

 Board of Natural Resources and Conservation is expected to reach a 

 decision on instream flow requests in the upper Clark Fork in the 

 fall of 1988. 



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