State of Montana Newsroom
Musselshell Water Quality Improvement Plan Available for Comment
Department of Environmental Quality
HELENA—The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking comments, and holding a remote public meeting, on a draft water quality improvement plan for the Musselshell watershed located in portions of Petroleum, Philips, Garfield, Meagher, Rosebud, Musselshell, Golden Valley and Wheatland counties.The draft “Musselshell E. coli TMDL” describes and discusses water quality problems related to E. coli in the Musselshell watershed. E. coli is naturally occurring in water bodies and can elevate in certain conditions. Portions of the Musselshell River and several of its tributaries are not currently meeting Montana’s water quality standard for E. coli and the document provides total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) to help address this problem. A total maximum daily load is a plan that identifies the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive while still meeting water quality standards. The document also outlines potential sources and a strategy for reducing E. coli concentrations in order to meet Montana’s water quality standard.
DEQ is hosting a remote public meeting on July 14, 2021 for the public to learn more about the plan. The meeting is accessible both online and by telephone and will include a short presentation and provide opportunity for questions.
What: A remote public meeting on the draft water quality improvement plan for the Musselshell watershed will be held via Zoom.
When: Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 5 p.m. (please log-on 15 minutes early)
Where: Participants can join at: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/82983489049. A call-in option is also available using (406) 444-9999 and ID: 829 8348 9049
If participants wish to join by phone, they may follow along with the presentation by downloading it ahead of time at: https://deq.mt.gov/public/publiccomment . The presentation will be made available shortly before the meeting. Participants can find additional details on the Musselshell TMDL project on the website.
Public comments will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2021. To view the draft document and submit comments electronically, visit the DEQ website at: https://deq.mt.gov/public/publiccomment. The document can also be viewed via the free public computer at the Roundup Community Library in Roundup or the Harlowton Public Library in Harlowton. Comments can be mailed to: DEQ, Water Quality Planning Bureau, P.O. Box 200901, Helena, MT 59620