water

Drought experts say unpredictable precipitation patterns are making drought forecasts more difficult.

In 2023, the DEQ listed sections of the Gallatin River as impaired due to recurring algal blooms. The blooms choke out fish and degrade water quality. State scientists are amid a six-year study trying to understand what's causing the harmful blooms. The state says it will use the results to inform local development regulations and a plan to protect the river.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved changes to how Montana determines water quality. A major water leak at the state prison in Deer Lodge has led to significant disruptions at the facility.

Big Sky Resort plans to use wastewater for making snow. Hemorrhagic disease may be killing deer in western Montana, FWP says. State releases resources on abuse and human trafficking education for teachers.

An aviation fuel company wants to inject wastewater into the ground along the Rocky Mountain Front. Federal officials say the plan wouldn’t put drinking water at risk. Residents are skeptical.

The Daily Inter Lake’s Jack Underhill is based in Kalispell and has been following the situation. He sat down with MTPR’s Elinor Smith to explain the timeline of discovery and how city officials handled the information.

A biofuels manufacturer in Great Falls announced plans to build a water treatment facility. This comes after the company previously proposed injecting the wastewater underground.

A new report indicates the Jefferson River basin might be in trouble. The nonprofits behind the study hope it will spur change.

A new report suggests Montana’s drought could deepen significantly this summer. Already, 60 percent of Montana is in moderate to extreme drought. Another 15 percent is abnormally dry. State officials have agreed to release water from Silver Lake to improve flows to the Clark Fork

A new lawsuit claims the Montana Department of Environmental Quality failed to assess how nutrient pollution from septic systems near the town of Big Sky will harm the Gallatin River.