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Water Balance Project

 

The Upper Yellowstone Watershed Study (2020-2023) will build drought resilience by improving monitoring, developing a water balance and hydrologic model to evaluate local water management strategies and providing a streamflow forecasting tool to better prepare the diverse community - from irrigators to anglers - for droughts and floods.

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The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation – Water Management Bureau (DNRC) will lead the efforts and work closely with the Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group and other stakeholders to develop a water balance/budget model for the Upper Yellowstone River watershed in Park County, MT in 2020-2023.

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The water balance and subsequent data collection will aid stakeholders in gaining deeper understanding of the hydrology of the watershed. The water balance model will allow local stakeholders to understand the impacts and benefits of various drought management actions and on-the-ground projects (identified through ongoing drought planning) by running predictive drought management scenarios focused on drought trends and demographic changes. The model will also allow for streamflow forecasting using real-time stream gage data, which will help the community better prepare for future drought and flood conditions. The overall project goal is to help the Upper Yellowstone Watershed community better understand water availability and water use in order to identify and evaluate and enact drought adaptation and response strategies that will build long-term drought resilience.  

Tributary and Canal Data Collection in 2021

One of the first efforts in our project will be focused on improving understanding of the amount of water flowing in tributaries and canals within the Upper Yellowstone watershed throughout the year. To accomplish this, we will be performing detailed mapping of tributaries and irrigation infrastructure. Additionally, and most importantly, flow measurements will be taken on tributaries and canals throughout the year. This will be done by installing measuring equipment that constantly measures flow or manual measurements performed by a person. A list of some of the locations we will be collecting data are below. If you are interested in helping collect data or understanding the flow of a ditch or tributary on and/or near your property or water rights, fill out the form below.​

  • Reese Creek

  • Tom Miner Creek

  • Rock Creek

  • Six Mile Creek

  • Emigrant Creek

  • Eightmile Creek

  • Pine Creek

  • Deep Creek

  • Suce Creek

  • Billman Creek

  • Fleshman Creek

  • Fridley Creek

  • Trail Creek

  • Big Creek

  • Park Branch Canal (Yellowstone)

  • Paradise Valley Canal (Yellowstone)

  • Livingston Ditch (Yellowstone)

  • Vilas Ditch (main stem Yellowstone)

  • North Side Ditch (Mill Creek)

  • Pipe Line and Ditch (Mill Creek)

  • Six Mile Ditch I

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Water Balance 101

The following provides basic information on what a Water Balance study entails, and how it can be very useful for making planning decisions.

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