Lower Clark Fork River Water Quality Monitoring

A large amount of public concern has been expressed in recent months over the general health of the lower Clark Fork River. Modification of the waste- water discharge permit for the Champion International kraft paper mill at Frenchtown has generated much of this concern. Other sources of wastewater, namely the City of Missoula wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and historic metals deposits originating upstream from Milltown Dam, have also been mentioned as possible sources of stress on the lower river. The preliminary environmental review of the proposed permit modification for Champion International (Water Quality Bureau, January 1984) outlined a water quality and biological monitoring program that would establish existing conditions and attempt to measure any changes that may result from the permit modification. This paper gives a brief description of the 2-year monitoring program that the Water Quality Bureau initiated in March 1984 and a summary of significant findings to date. Data from this monitoring program will be the technical basis of an environmental impact statement that will address the decision whether to renew the modified permit when it expires in April 1986