Abstract

I am pleased to be here to share with you Forest Service water quality monitoring activities in the Clark Fork River basin. Throughout the day, we have heard about the many and varied studies and approaches to monitoring water quality in the Clark Fork River. It is important that this information be brought together and shared so that we can understand the cumulative impacts from all ownerships and activities on the Clark Fork River. Under- standing the cumulative impacts is paramount to the management of the water resource in the Clark Fork basin.

As you may know, there are six National Forests that occupy portions of the Clark Fork basin: Flathead, Kootenai, Lolo, Bitterroot, Helena, and Deerlodge. These Forests encompass substantial acres of the watershed and contribute significantly to the flows in the river. These areas are an essential part of the headwaters of the Clark Fork.

Since we have heard a considerable amount of information regarding the results of studies and monitoring, I would like to use my limited time to give you an overview of Forest Service water quality monitoring activities. For this discussion I would like to take a moment to discuss monitoring activities as they relate to National Forest land management activities. Monitoring on National Forest lands can be categorized into three basic kinds. These are broadly described as (I) administration of on-the-ground land management activities, (2) hydrologic monitoring, and (3) aquatic monitoring. Of the three, it is extremely important that we place a high value on supervision of land management activities "on-the-ground" as essential to the protection of water resources.

Start Date

19-4-1985 12:00 AM

End Date

19-4-1985 12:00 AM

Document Type

Panel Session/Paper

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Apr 19th, 12:00 AM Apr 19th, 12:00 AM

USDA Forest Service Clark Fork River Basin Monitoring

I am pleased to be here to share with you Forest Service water quality monitoring activities in the Clark Fork River basin. Throughout the day, we have heard about the many and varied studies and approaches to monitoring water quality in the Clark Fork River. It is important that this information be brought together and shared so that we can understand the cumulative impacts from all ownerships and activities on the Clark Fork River. Under- standing the cumulative impacts is paramount to the management of the water resource in the Clark Fork basin.

As you may know, there are six National Forests that occupy portions of the Clark Fork basin: Flathead, Kootenai, Lolo, Bitterroot, Helena, and Deerlodge. These Forests encompass substantial acres of the watershed and contribute significantly to the flows in the river. These areas are an essential part of the headwaters of the Clark Fork.

Since we have heard a considerable amount of information regarding the results of studies and monitoring, I would like to use my limited time to give you an overview of Forest Service water quality monitoring activities. For this discussion I would like to take a moment to discuss monitoring activities as they relate to National Forest land management activities. Monitoring on National Forest lands can be categorized into three basic kinds. These are broadly described as (I) administration of on-the-ground land management activities, (2) hydrologic monitoring, and (3) aquatic monitoring. Of the three, it is extremely important that we place a high value on supervision of land management activities "on-the-ground" as essential to the protection of water resources.