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Projects Reduce Sediment from Forest Roads in Jim Creek in the
Swan Lake Watershed
b0dV Ifnpnovid J'm Cree'< was 'istec^ as 'mPa'rec' sediment in 1996, Total
maximum daily loads (TMDLs) were completed for the Swan Lake
watershed by Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in 2004 for Swan Lake, Goat
Creek and Jim Creek. Swan Lake aquatic iife use is threatened by particulate organic carbon and is
linked to low summer dissolved oxygen levels in the deeper parts of the lake. Since the TMDLs were
developed, the Swan Ecosystem Center (now Swan Valley Connections) has worked with Flathead
National Forest, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation state trust lands, Plum Creek
Timber, DEQ and other partners to develop and implement a watershed-based plan. Numerous
Clean Water Act (CWA) section 319 projects have been implemented, focusing on forest road-
generated sediment reductions. In 2015 and 2016 the Montana DEQ collected sediment-related
data in Jim Creek and completed an assessment in March 2017, with an outcome of a proposed 2018
de-listing sediment/siltation as a cause of impairment in Jim Creek.
Problem
Jim Creek, a 12-mile-long stream in northwest
Montana's Swan Lake watershed was listed as
impaired by sediment in 1996 based on Montana's
narrative standard (Figure 1). The standard does not
allow increases above naturally occurring sediment
concentrations that will or are likely to harm aquatic
life or other beneficial uses.
TMDLs were developed for three waterbodies (Swan
Lake and Jim and Goat creeks) in 2004. Sediment
sources were identified as road erosion, riparian and
streambank erosion, and other timber harvest activi-
ties. Sediment targets (channel substrate fines, pools
with cover, large woody debris, and macroinvertebrate
community metrics) were established for Jim Creek as
part of the TMDL process. TMDL restoration strategies
Included application of best management practices
(BMPs) to existing forest roads, riparian and stream
bank protection from existing and future private (non-
timber) development, and application of forestry BMP
practices, Including the Streamside Management Zone.
Bull trout arid grizzly bear, both listed under the
Endangered Species Act, are found in the 408,630-acre
Swan Lake watershed, which is classified as part of the
Northern Rocky Mountain ecoregion.
Project Highlights
The 12.,512-acre Jim Creek watershed was the focus
of two CWA section 319 projects (2006 and 2012)
that implemented forest road BMPs, including cross
drains, rolling dips, flapper bars, blading and reshap-
ing roadway surfaces, upsizing and replacing culverts,
active and passive road decommissioning, and road
realignment. Since the TMDLs were developed, Swan
Valley Connections (SVC) has been awarded seven
r
Swan Lake Watershed
Figure 1. Jim Creek is in the Swan Lake watershed.

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Jim Creek (McNeil Core Sediment Data)
Jim Creek
-Linear (Jim Creek)
y = -0.2882x +615.6
R2 = 0.3966
Figure 2. Regression trend line shows that percent
fines have declined over time.
Figure 3. Lower Jim Creek, seen here in 2013, now
meets Montana's narrative sediment standard.
CWA section 319 contracts, addressing sediment
sources throughout the Swan Lake watershed, with
an emphasis on the forest roads network—the largest
anthropogenic source of sediment In the watershed.
SVC developed a Quality Assurance Project Plan in
2008, and a Watershed Restoration Plan in 2009
that was updated in 2012. Between 2010 and 2017,
SVC has implemented 10 wetland, stream or riparian
restoration projects on nine privately owned parcels
(92 acres) and one on public land (12 acres) that were
funded by sources other than the CWA section 319
program.
Other factors contributing to sediment reduction
include state regulatory requirements. In 1989
Montana passed the BMP Notification Law, which
requires landowners to notify Montana Department
of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) prior
to harvesting timber. DNRC foresters provide techni-
cal assistance on proper harvesting techniques and
BMP implementation. In 1991 Montana enacted the
Streamside Management Zone Law, which requires,
among other things, that a riparian buffer of at least
50 feet from each bank be maintained during commer-
cial timber harvesting. These two laws have signifi-
cantly improved implementation of forestry practices
designed to protect water quality.
Results
With support by CWA section 319 and state and
local match funding, SVC has reported a sediment
reduction of 159 tons per year in the Swan Lake
watershed. Additionally, the Montana Department
of Transportation has decreased their application
of traction sand along 47 miles of state highway 83
through the Swan Valley, from about 500 pounds to
250 pounds per road miie per year. Projects in the
Jim Creek watershed have resulted in an estimated
sediment reduction of 33 tons per year, a 2.4 percent
decrease from the estimated 135 tons per year total
sediment load. Sediment sampling has shown that the
percent of sediment fines in the Jim Creek channel
substrate have declined (Figure 2).
Macroinvertebrate and periphyton algae sampling
yielded results that indicate a high level of biological
integrity on Jirn Creek. The three macroinvertebrate
samples had an average Hilsenhoff biotic index value
of 1.96 (range: 1.84-1.97). The single periphyton
sample yielded a sediment taxa probability of impair-
ment of 16 percent, well within the target of less than
51 percent. Because Jim Creek is now meeting the
state's narrative standard for "...naturally occurring
concentrations of sediment or suspended sediment,"
MDEQ is proposing to remove the sediment/siltation
impairment from Jim Creek in 2018 (Figure 3).
Partners and Funding
SVC has provided the leadership, coordination, man-
agement and administration for TMDL implementation
in the watershed. Major partners include the Flathead
National Forest; the DEQ; DNRC; the Swan Lakers and
Flathead Biological Station; the Montana Department
of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; and the Montana
Department of Transportation. A total of $390,260
in CWA section 319 funds has supported on-the-
ground BMPs, planning, monitoring, coordination, and
education and outreach activities in the watershed.
State and local match has totaled $716,029, and the
Flathead National Forest has reported $1,262,639 in
project contributions.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
0** Office of Water
\ Washington, DC
WI
EPA 841-F-17-001AA
PROt^° December 2017
For additional information contact:
Jonathan Bowler, Swan Valley Connections
406-754-3137 • Jonathan@SVConnections.org
Robert Ray, Montana Dep. of Environmental Quality
406-444-5319 • rray@mt.gov
Beth Gardner, Flathead National Forest
406-837-7508 • bgardner@fs.fed.us

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