The waters of the Flathead are a unique and valuable resource that provide many benefits to Flathead County and its residents. The Flathead River system is connected to the snowy mountains above, the groundwater below, and Flathead Lake downstream.
The Flathead Watershed is comprised of all the lands that drain into the Flathead River and Flathead Lake. Precipitation and snowmelt in the watershed nourish streams and rivers, renewing Flathead Lake in a continuous cycle. These waters recharge drinking water supplies and sustain farms, forests, and commerce as well as fish, wildlife and recreation.
Numerous polls, surveys and focus groups have shown that people who live in the Flathead appreciate its scenic landscapes, clean water, and hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and numerous other outdoor recreational opportunities. These are the very same qualities that attract visitors and new residents, and play a significant role in the vitality of the Flathead's economy.
Changes in land use can degrade water quality by increasing polluted runoff, also known as nonpoint source pollution. Rapid growth and inappropriate development in critical areas jeopardize clean water, wildlife habitat and quality of life.
Flathead Lake serves as a barometer of the health of the Flathead watershed. According to the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station, water quality in Flathead Lake has been declining since the late 1970s, illustrated by increased algal blooms, the increased ability of the lake to grow algae, and reduced oxygen in deeper waters. Through a process required by Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act and by Chapter 7, Part 7 of the Montana Water Quality Act, Flathead Lake has been listed as an impaired water body by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Consequently, DEQ has adopted Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for Flathead Lake that provide targets for nutrient reduction. The TMDL for Flathead Lake prescribes a 15 percent reduction in nutrient loading. The TMDL for Flathead Lake should be recognized in the growth policy and the water quality improvement goals it establishes should be incorporated into the growth policy goals and policies.
Other streams, rivers and lakes in the Stillwater drainage and the three forks of the Flathead River and the mainstem Flathead River have also been listed as impaired water bodies. A TMDL has been completed for the Flathead River headwaters.
Lands critical to sustaining clean water, such as wetlands, riparian areas, floodplains and areas overlying shallow alluvial aquifers, serve as the "kidneys" of rivers and lakes. In a natural state they provide a buffer that filters out nutrients and other pollutants before they reach the water. These areas also contribute to quality of life by reducing flooding, providing wildlife habitat, sustaining fish and wildlife populations, and providing recreation opportunities and scenic vistas.
The Flathead Lakers support the Water and Waterfront goals and policies in the existing Flathead County Growth Policy and encourage the county to incorporate them into the new growth policy. We recommend adding to this section a policy that encourages construction of dynamic equilibrium beaches instead of seawalls for lake shorelines experiencing excessive erosion.
The Flathead County Growth Policy revision provides an opportunity to guide and manage growth and development to assure protection of Flathead waters. It should establish policies that encourage growth in areas where services can be provided cost effectively and away from areas where development threatens valued resources.
Riparian Areas: Riparian areas are the lands adjacent to streams, river, lakes and wetlands, where the vegetation and soils are strongly influenced by the presence of water. Some riparian areas are fairly narrow, while others extend hundreds of feet beyond the water's edge across broad floodplains. These areas are important for filtering nutrients, trapping sediments, reducing flooding, stabilizing soils and providing habitat.
Riparian corridors, wetlands and sloughs support nesting habitat for bald eagles, osprey, waterfowl, upland game birds, great blue herons and double-crested cormorants. During migration, 70% of migratory bird species use riparian habitat. Some of the state's highest bird richness and abundance are found in the Flathead Watershed. The Flathead River corridor also provides excellent habitat for white-tailed deer, beaver, river otter, muskrats and mink.
Bull trout and cutthroat trout use the Flathead, Stillwater and Whitefish rivers and their tributaries for migration and spawning, and connected wetlands and sloughs provide winter habitat.
Cottonwood trees are good indicators of healthy riparian areas and floodplains. Natural floods create gravel bars and sand bars where young cottonwood trees can seed. These areas are less prevalent than in the past due to greater flow controls by dam operations, making them especially valuable.
Riparian forests keep the water cool, provide large woody debris which creates pools and riffles for fish habitat, and support insect and crustacean species important as food sources for fish. Riparian areas that are well-vegetated help slow down runoff velocities, allowing nutrients and pollutants to soak into the ground and be captured by plants and microorganisms in the soil. The extensive root systems of sedges, shrubs and trees in the riparian area also help stablize the streambanks and reduce erosion.
Floodplains and Shallow Alluvial Aquifers: Groundwater near the surface is an indicator of the extent and width of riparian corridors and floodplains.
A shallow alluvial aquifer, often referred to as the Evergreen Aquifer, is located between the Flathead River to the east and Whitefish River to the west, and between Badrock Canyon to the north and the confluence of the Flathead and Whitefish rivers to the south. The depth to the water table in this area is generally less that 50 feet and for much of the area less than five feet (see Depth to Water Table Map).
Research by the Flathead Lake Biological Station has shown there is significant groundwaterÐsurface water interaction between the alluvial aquifer and the river. Consequently, pollution entering the alluvial aquifer can be flushed into the Flathead River system. Potential threats to the aquifer include development over the aquifer with potential impacts from septic systems and increased polluted runoff; and gravel mining, which can expose the aquifer to the surface thereby increasing the risk of contamination, and can also reduce or destroy the biota in the aquifer that provide a natural cleansing process.
Development and increased impervious surfaces cause more water to enter streams quickly, rather than percolate into soils. When more water enters streams and rivers, the floodplain downstream tends to widen, subjecting more homes, properties and people to the risk of flooding.
Wetlands: Wetlands are areas inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater for most or part of the year. They support a high diversity of plants adapted to saturated soils. Wetlands provide habitat for numerous amphibians, insects, fish, shorebirds, waterfowl and mammals. Wetlands are also critical for the uptake and long-term storage of nutrients in wetland vegetation, which helps maintain clean water in rivers, lakes and the alluvial aquifer. Wetlands also help recharge aquifers by holding water long enough to allow it to percolate into the soil. Wetlands store water during flood events, thereby reducing flooding. Even very small wetlands located on the shallow alluvial aquifer or near surface waters provide important water quality protection benefits.
The Flathead Watershed supports "...one of the greatest and most diverse concentrations of wetlands in the Rock Mountains, including peat lands, oxbow ponds, springs and seeps, complexes of pothole ponds, vernal pools and beaver ponds" (Greenlee, 1998).
Goal 1. Encourage development in areas suitable for development in and around existing communities to take advantage of existing and planned services and infrastructure. Discourage development in vulnerable areas that provide important natural functions and amenities.
Planning future infrastructure development, including location, size and timing of sewer and water service extensions, should be carefully managed to achieve growth management policy goals. Infrastructure development should be targeted for areas close to existing communities that are suitable for development to attract and support businesses and residents. It should avoid vulnerable areas, such as sensitive shallow aquifers, riparian corridors and wetlands.
The county should initiate a collaborative effort with relevant jurisdictions and service providers to develop a plan for services extensions that meets all the provisions of the growth policy. This effort should include developing a map of service extension areas, determining costs and funding sources, and developing a time frame for implementing the plan.
Goal 2. Adopt county-wide development standards to address site suitability, compatibility with adjacent land uses, infrastructure availability, etc.
Development standards should be created and adopted simultaneously with adoption of the growth policy in order to implement growth policy provisions. Development standards can guide growth to suitable areas and away from vulnerable areas. They provide more predictability for developers, landowners, resource managers and concerned citizens.
Urban areas and transitional lands on the edge of urban areas that are suitable for development should be identified and mapped. Development standards could allow for streamlining subdivision review for these urban areas and transitional areas. Rural areas less suitable for development and conservation areas less suitable or unsuitable for development should also be identified and mapped. Development standards should protect rural amenities and lifestyle.
The county should:
- work with cities to delineate urban growth areas for the next 20 years, to establish urban development standards that are based on the city's standards, and to require street connectivitiy and city sewer and water in these areas;
- delineate transition areas and establish transition development standards that require connectivity of streets, waiver of protest to hook up to city sewer and water if and when it reaches the development, and building envelopes that allow for denser development in the future;
- streamline subdivision review for development within urban growth areas;
- establish incentives for developments in urban and transition areas;
- establish clear standards that avoid or mitigate impacts.
An overlay zone should be created for lands requiring special consideration in order to conserve resources that provide public benefits. The overlay zone would define appropriate planning tools, restrictions and requirements which could vary depending on the conservation objectives of each resource, but should include: public acquisition, establishment of conservation easements, transfer of development rights (designating the conservation area as a Òsending areaÓ), application of special land use controls such as specific density designations, cluster zoning, percentage of impervious surface areas allowed, and incorporating special design requirements into subdivision maps and/or permit conditions.
County departments should provide additional environmental analysis, including examining cumulative impacts, for all projects proposed in designated rural and conservation areas, and should require conservation actions to be implemented consistent with the intent of the overlay designation for any projects approved.
To protect water quality, standards should include the following (as well as measures outlined under Goal 3):
- Allow no structures or septic systems in the 100-year floodplain. Filling in order to raise an area out of the floodplain or to obtain the required depth to groundwater for septic system siting should not be allowed. This avoids creating ÒislandsÓ of development that could lead to significant problems during floods, including water quality degradation, and provides greater protection to groundwater and surface water from sewage effluent contamination and polluted runoff.
- Prevent stormwater runoff from new development from adversely impacting water quality and neighboring properties. Affordable prevention and treatment options are currently available and should be required in areas where groundwater or surface water may be affected.
- Develop buffer requirements along intermittant and permanent streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands to protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, scenic views and recreational uses, and to prevent or reduce flooding impacts. Setbacks alone are not sufficient to protect water quality. Buffers must include vegetation standards. (See Riparian Buffers section below).
- Filling of wetlands, of any size, should not be allowed.
Goal 3. Protect surface water and groundwater quality. New development must not contribute to water quality degradation as measured by Montana Department of Environmental Quality Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) water quality indicators.
The county should support studies to better understand groundwater and surface water interactions and the necessary limitations on development in areas of shallow groundwater. Alluvial aquifers exhibit severe limitations for high density development and for on-site wastewater treatment systems due to their coarse, porous, gravelly soils, shallow groundwater, and tendency to flood.
Wastewater Treatment: Current regulations governing the siting of septic systems and nondegradation of water quality may not be adequate to protect unique shallow aquifer characteristics and functions. Until a thorough study and evaluation of the impacts of development on the shallow aquifer has been completed that provides information about the risks of various levels and types of development, extra caution should be taken to prevent aquifer degradation. In areas of shallow groundwater, on-site systems should be allowed only for low density development (one residential unit per 40 acres or more). Dense development should be encouraged in areas more suitable for development where centralized wastewater treatment can be provided (see Goal 1). On-site septic systems can be appropriate for moderate development densities in rural areas suitable for development (i.e., no shallow groundwater and far from surface water).
Without proper management and maintenance, on-site systems can fail, polluting water resources and threatening human health. The county should implement a management program for on-site wastewater systems to ensure that systems are properly maintained and provide effective treatment of wastewater. The program should include:
- an inventory of existing systems, entered into a database and GIS system, to better understand the location, age and condition of existing systems and their potential impacts, separately and cumulatively, on water resources;
- an educational effort to better inform owners of their responsibilities and maintenance requirements of the systems;
- a maintenance program which includes, at the least, mandatory inspection at time of real estate sale or transfer;
- working with the State to provide a program of incentives to aid those in need of replacing older septic drain fields that no longer function properly.
Stormwater Management: Stormwater management policies can protect and improve water quality by minimizing polluted runoff, erosion and sedimentation. Policies should delineate and promote best management practices (BMPs) for timber harvest, agriculture, and road, bridge and building construction. The county should encourage feedlots, landfills, septic sludge depositories, car washes, truck stops, gas stations and other commercial and industrial endeavors to be located in areas with low potential for groundwater or surface water contamination. Stormwater management plans should be required for all new development, including subdivisions, in order to protect water quality and neighboring properties. These plans should include minimizing impervious surface area, which can increase polluted runoff. Developments in the area of the shallow alluvial aquifer should not be allowed to use infiltration systems to treat stormwater runoff as this will directly contaminate the groundwater in the area and potentially the river.
Riparian Buffers: Riparian buffers are essential to protect water quality and all the benefits riparian corridors, wetlands and floodplains provide. A riparian buffer is a natural, undeveloped, vegetated area adjacent to a stream, river or wetland. A grassy lawn is not a buffer. The most effective buffers consist of undisturbed native vegetation, including an understory of forbs and woody vegetation and an overstory of native trees. Vegetated buffers trap and hold sediment, filter surface and groundwater flows and shade streams to keep temperatures low and dissolved oxygen high. To be effective, residential and commercial development, timber harvest, agriculture and mining should not be allowed within the buffer. Grazing should not be allowed, although livestock access to a stream can be allowed in limited locations. Some management of vegetation, including planting of native species and weed removal can be allowed with restrictions. Nonmotorized recreational uses, recreational access to streams and rivers, and stream crossings can be allowed.
The effectiveness of a buffer depends on slope, soil type and vegetation type. Generally, buffers should be at least 100 feet wide to effectively maintain water quality in Flathead County. Even small and intermittant tributaries need buffers.
Riparian buffers can be established and protected through zoning regulations, development standards, cluster development, development incentives, and transfers of development rights. Riparian buffers protected through cluster development or incentives such as density bonuses, etc. must be permanently protected through a conservation easement. The county should work cooperatively with state agencies and land trust organizations to secure conservation easements that protect wetlands and riparian buffers. Establishing policies that provide buffers along streams, rivers, and wetlands will help protect the quality of surface water and groundwater.
Conclusion
Poorly planned development is a major threat to water quality in the Flathead Basin. Preventing pollution through thoughtful planning is the least expensive and most effective way to protect Flathead waters. Efforts that promote growth that respects sensitive natural areas will have a major positive impact on water quality in Flathead Lake and throughout the county.
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