Musselshell Projects
Current Projects
Musselshell Watershed Plan​
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This project was developed to update a Musselshell Watershed Plan that was originally completed in 2015. The update was funded by a Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Grant for “Improving the Musselshell Watershed Plan”. The initial plan development included a series of stakeholder meetings held throughout the watershed to solicit input from local producers, agency representatives, water user associations and others regarding water resource-related project needs and opportunities. In the original 2015 plan, a total of 58 project concepts were developed and those were consolidated/winnowed to 27 projects, including 19 engineering projects and 8 studies/outreach efforts.
An implementation strategy developed in the 2015 plan identified project leads, potential funders, and aspirational timelines for each ranked project. Within four years, 25% of the identified projects had been completed with another 50% of the projects underway. Because so many projects have been completed and additional challenges and opportunities have arisen, the original plan is outdated. To ensure the Plan remains a dynamic and useful tool for tracking project successes and setting new goals, the same basic strategy was taken for this update to gather stakeholder input and locally vet project priorities.
Stakeholder meetings held in 2021 generated a total of 86 project concepts. As many of the projects can be considered ongoing studies or initiatives, they were removed from the prioritization list and described as active efforts. With additional project consolidation, 40 projects were ultimately ranked. Many of these projects that relate to irrigation infrastructure upgrades/replacements are managed by individual Water User Associations (WUAs), however the involvement of managers in the ranking process allowed WUA-specific rankings to be generated. A total of 19 projects that are not within the purview of the WUAs are ranked separately. The implementation strategy includes only those 19 non-WUA projects since local water managers have their own strategy for project implementation.
The result of the planning effort includes an updated general watershed characterization (Chapter 2), a brief summary of 29 projects that have been recently completed or are underway in the basin (Chapter 3), summaries of all ranked projects and studies (Chapter 5), and an implementation strategy (Chapter 65.4). Conceptual level designs are included for two projects selected by the ranking team.
The “Musselshell Watershed Plan Vision 2030” is intended to be a living document that will assist the Musselshell Watershed Coalition in its continued water management efforts in the basin. It is also a means of acknowledging the achievements of the coalition and its partner agencies, water user associations, producers, and other organizations in recent years, while highlighting the array of issues and opportunities that continually arise.
2015 Montana Water Supply Initiative
Major Water Planning Basins
Cooperative Weed Management Area
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A new partnership between the MWC and MCC has resulted in the formation of the Musselshell River Cooperative Weed Management Area (MRCWMA). The MRCWMA brings everyone along the river involved in tackling weeds together: private landowners, Conservation District supervisors, County Weed Coordinators and board members, as well as representatives from Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, US Fish and Wildlife Service, water users associations, Montana State University Extension, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and private applicators. This diverse group joined to share their weed inventory efforts, treatments plans, and coordinate approaches to find funding, conduct education and outreach, and strategically focus treatment efforts on priority areas.
The MRCWMA serves many important purposes. It helps to facilitate the sharing and communication of weed inventories, treatments, resources, and projects. The MRCWMA was inspired by the idea that knowing and understanding what your neighbors priorities and efforts are can help you better treat and coordinate noxious weed issues, resulting in more effective treatments and improving the health of the watershed. The MRCWMA also works to help secure funding for partner projects, provide education about invasive weeds, and work to prevent new species from invading.
Aquatic Invasive Species
Aquatic Invasive Species or AIS are quickly become the next big threat to Montana's natural beauty. In fact, globally invasive species are the second biggest threat to biodiversity, behind only habitat loss.
AIS pose an interesting challenge because they move and develop in different ways than their terrestrial counterparts. In addition, because of the interconnected nature of our waterways, once they do get here their potential for destruction is large.
There are two main types of AIS, weeds, such as eurasian milfoil or flowering rush, and invasive animals, such as Asian carp or New Zealand mudsnails. Currently there is one species at the top of everyone's radar: mussels. Quagga and zebra mussels are non-native mussels shown to devastate the water bodies they infest. There is no way to get rid of a mussel infestation so plans designed to keep them out in the first place is critical.
The best way to avoid the spread of mussels and all AIS is to CLEAN DRAIN and DRY your gear every time you use it.
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To find more information on what the Musselshell is doing to combat mussels click here.
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Also, check out some fantastic presentations on AIS early detection and monitoring from Montana FWP's AIS Team:
Gaging Station Funding
Money provided by 17 partners along the Musselshell River comprises 2% of the total cost of maintaining the eight gaging stations on the Musselshell; other costs are covered by the USGS (63%), DNRC (19%), and the Bureau of Reclamation (16%).
The members of the Musselshell Watershed Coalition (MWC) continue to work with the USGS and the DNRC to create a sustainable model for future maintenance funding for the stream gages on the Musselshell River. These gages have proven to be essential to the safety of residents and to wise management of our scarce water resource. The MWC views their continued operation as vital to the Musselshell River Basin.
