Phil & El Nino & 310s, Oh My!

As we welcomed the start of February,  the Gallatin Conservation District entertained a conversation about the tradition of Groundhog Day. Each February Phil the Groundhog makes a presence in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  If the groundhog sees his shadow, we will have a long winter; if he doesn’t then we are in for an early spring.  Whether you believe this American tradition or not, there is some truth to the outcome of 2024’s Groundhog’s Day.  His prediction indicated an early spring which aligns with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s prediction of a warmer and milder winter. Reports say that winter and spring of 2024 will be an El Nino cycle. Montanans can agree, that this winter has many winter enthusiasts, anglers, and ranchers alike, praying for snow.

Montana communities are heavily reliant on the availability of water within their watersheds. Weather is one of the few driving factors of the seasonal success for many career fields in Montana. Whether you are an irrigator, outdoor guide, in the tourist industry, or merely a trout trying to navigate a stream, it is imperative to have clean water within the watershed. Over the few years I have been a Montana resident, I’ve witnessed drought and much hardship a lack of water can have on a community.  

Drought conditions have become increasingly prevalent across the west coast and there are a few causes that can lead to dry conditions.  The first is a lack of accumulated snowpack. In El Nino years, we experience warmer, dryer years resulting in less snow within the mountains. This is based on the currents within the ocean and the resulting winds coming off of the oceans. On an average year, Montanans rely on the snow slowly melting at higher elevations to resupply the river and streams. With minimal amounts of snow in the mountains, we can anticipate a dry July and August. The second cause of drought is caused by rain on snow events.  This premise of rain on snow events is when a snowpack rapidly melts after receiving a rainstorm during spring and early in the summer.  Montana experienced this anomaly in 2022 when the Yellowstone River flooded, destroying houses, roads, and bridges. This event flushed most of the stored water in the drainage in one fair swoop, leaving a dry landscape in late summer.  Montana has significant consumptive uses for water across the state; as we begin to experience extreme weather conditions, it’s important to retain water throughout the landscape.

Historically,  the Montana landscape was a patchwork of wetlands with multithreaded river corridors that danced across the floodplain as water was naturally delivered downstream.  During runoff,  rivers were able to dissipate the shear energy that the water was providing by dispersing flows across the floodplain. As the population grew, communities began to restrict the river so the floodplain could be developed. Many rivers in Southwest Montana are channelized to the point they are a single channel that is no longer connected to its historical floodplain.  

A healthy floodplain can mitigate some consequences of flooding and drought across the state. Hundreds of river miles have become degraded due to historic practices, loss of riparian complexity, and development. Often this looks like extensive vertical banklines, minimal riparian vegetation, and over-widened channels.  Vertical bank lines indicate a lack of floodplain health. Flooding within these conditions reduces the river’s ability to distribute the water onto the natural floodplain leading to further disruption to the bank lines. The floodplain is naturally a sponge that absorbs surface water and eventually feeds the groundwater supply. Without adequate floodplain connection, the watershed is unable to absorb much of the runoff.

Luckily, many landowners in Southwest Montana are working to become more drought-resilient. Many are implementing floodplain reconnection, bankline stabilization, and habitat enhancement projects that look different depending on the river or stream they are working on. Early spring is when many of these projects are implemented.  

Projects that impact the bank lines typically require permits from local, state, and federal agencies to ensure the project is designed and installed adequately. The Gallatin Conservation District oversees the 310-permitting process for all spring, stream, and river projects in Gallatin County. In collaboration with the Four Corners Foundation, the Gallatin CD offers an online platform to complete the joint permit application.  If you are planning to complete stream work, reach out to your location Conservation District to determine the permitting requirements for your project.

It is up to our generations to improve the landscape so future generations can have access to the same experiences that we had growing up. Whether you believe in the traditions of Groundhog Day or trust weather predictions, in times of drought, communities need to come together to plan meaningful solutions to the problems at hand. 

If you are looking to implement any projects within the watershed, please reach out to GCD to ensure you are properly permitted!