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Montana DEQ Works Toward Impairment Designation for Big Hole River
The draft designation could lead to nutrient limits and river-restoration funding as officials say excess nitrogen and phosphorus are fueling algal blooms.
- On Tuesday, the DEQ announced it is preparing to classify the Big Hole River as impaired due to eutrophication, a condition linked to excessive algae growth from nitrogen and phosphorus.
- For six years, groups like Save Wild Trout and Upper Missouri Waterkeeper have documented summertime algae blooms to spur the agency to address nutrient loading that depletes dissolved oxygen levels.
- Last year, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed House Bill 664, prohibiting the DEQ from using numeric nutrient standards and forcing reliance on subjective, narrative assessments.
- Rancher Erik Kalsta, a member of the Big Hole Watershed Committee, expressed concerns about the messaging during a severe drought, while officials anticipate the designation will increase restoration funding.
- With the river flowing at about one-quarter of its usual volume, experts warn the Big Hole could run dry in the next four or five weeks, forcing difficult water-management choices.
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Associated Press News+12 Reposted by 12 other sources
Montana DEQ works toward impairment designation for Big Hole River
The Big Hole River, a blue-ribbon fishery that’s become a focal point in a years-long debate over nuisance algae growth, is poised to receive an impairment designation.
·New York, United States
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Big Hole River to serve as testing ground for new water-quality regulations
An algae bloom photographed on the Lower Big Hole River near Wisdom on July 14, 2025. Low streamflows can contribute to algal blooms, which deplete rivers of the oxygen cold-water fish need to thrive. Credit: Dan Armstrong DIVIDE — The Big Hole River, a blue-ribbon fishery that’s become a focal point in a years-long debate over nuisance algae growth, is poised to receive an impairment designation. At an open-house meeting in Divide on Tuesday, t…
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Center
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
60% Center
L 27%
C 60%
13%
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