SPA 124 PERMIT DECISION NOTICE North Fork Smith River Stream and Riparian Restoration

Apr 28, 2025 9:37 AM

The North Fork Smith River restoration project is located on the North Fork upstream of White Sulphur Springs, Montana. The North Fork supports an important trout fishery. The North Fork has been degraded through livestock grazing, agricultural encroachment, irrigation withdrawals, channel straightening, bank armoring, and infrastructure development. The main water quality issues in the North Fork include elevated turbidity from streambank erosion and irrigation return flows; elevated water temperatures from decreased late season flows; removal of woody riparian vegetation and channel widening; and elevated nutrients and E. coli from livestock grazing and agriculture.

The North Fork Smith River restoration project is located on an approximately 2-mile reach of the North Fork on a private working ranch upstream of White Sulphur Springs. Restoration actions include installing off-site livestock water to reduce livestock use of the stream, creating a topographic buffer between the river and livestock corrals, replacing degraded riparian protection fence, installing windbreak fence in strategic locations to reduce livestock access to riparian areas, hardening six livestock access points, restoring 1,500 linear feet of eroding streambanks, and narrowing areas of over-widened channel to create an additional 5,000 square feet of hydrologically connected riparian area to help filter sediment and nutrients and enhance aquatic habitat.

The Smith River Corridor Enhancement Account fund, which is funded by floater fees, would be utilized to fund the project.