Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is sending drought warning letters to water users with junior water rights on streams important to Montana’s fisheries. Letters are going to over 600 junior water users on selected streams in the Yellowstone, Missouri, and Little Missouri river basins and on 15 additional streams on which FWP holds in-stream water rights. "Our goal is to alert junior water users of the projections for continued low stream flows and to the possibility that FWP may request those with junior water rights to stop diverting water from certain streams, if drought conditions persist," said Kathleen Williams, FWP’s water resources program manager. Making this "call" for water would be done on a stream-by-stream basis as the season progresses in an attempt to protect priority fisheries in the state. Recent dry conditions have already impacted Montana’s fisheries and experts such as the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) predict that these conditions will continue and possibly worsen. Statewide-stream flows are projected to be between 24 and 69 percent of average this summer, according to NRCS’s April estimates. In March, the Governor’s Drought Advisory Committee issued drought alerts to all 56 Montana counties and Lt. Governor Karl Ohs sent the counties letters encouraging them to consider appropriate pre-emptive drought measures at the local level. Williams said long-term projects to conserve in-stream flow include water leases with senior water right holders, fish-friendly irrigation structures and other water conservation measures and strategies worked out at the local level. "It can make a significant impact in dry years," she said "Some watershed groups, such as the Big Hole Watershed Committee, Jefferson Watershed Council, and the Blackfoot Challenge, have response plans that are triggered when extremely dry weather conditions come into play." Many Montana counties have established local drought committees in response to the alert. Interested individuals may wish to get involved in these efforts or related planning that a local watershed group or Conservation District may be doing. Updated climate projections and stream flow information can be accessed via the State of Montana’s Drought web page at http://nris.state.mt.us/drought/. For information on FWP’s in-stream flow water rights go to http://nris.state.mt.us/wis/mris1.html, type in and confirm a stream name, select "Partial Report," then check "FWP In-stream Flow Protection" for a listing or map of FWP in-stream rights for that stream. For more information call FWP at 406-444-3888.
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