HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-16-23 Public Comment - T. Haraldson, DEQ - DEQ public comment on the PRATFrom:Addi Jadin
To:Agenda
Cc:Jesse Phillips
Subject:DEQ public comment on the PRAT
Date:Thursday, February 16, 2023 3:31:26 PM
Attachments:2023.02.15_HaraldsonPRATcomments.pdf
Please add this letter to the public comments for PRAT Plan
Addi Jadin | Park Planning and Development Manager City of Bozeman | Parks and Recreation Department P.O. Box 1230 | Bozeman, MT 59771 | 406-582-2908
Pronouns: She/Her
engage.bozeman.net/pratplan
Greg Gianforte, Governor I Chris Dorrington, Director I P.O. Box 200901 I Helena, MT 59620-0901 I (406) 444-2544 I www.deq.mt.gov
February 15, 2023
City of Bozeman Park Planning & Development Staff, and Parks & Forestry Board Members:
Thank you for your hard work and diligence in the development of the Parks, Recreation and
Active Transportation (PRAT) Plan. I am on staff at Montana Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) in the Nonpoint Source and Wetlands Section and would like to provide some
background on our role in serving the people of Montana and to highlight technical and
financial resources that could assist the City of Bozeman in achieving some of the goals laid out
in the PRAT Plan.
Nonpoint source pollution occurs when rainfall or snowmelt creates runoff that moves oil,
fertilizers, and other pollutants into streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater. It is a potential
consequence of any activity that disturbs the land or water, and everyone has a role in creating
it. Common nonpoint sources of pollution in Bozeman’s streams include agricultural and
forestry practices, residential lawn maintenance, eroding streambanks, and septic systems.
Unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants (point sources), which are
regulated with discharge permits, nonpoint source pollution is addressed through voluntary
action by willing stakeholders.
The goal of DEQ’s Nonpoint Source and Wetland Section is to provide a clean and healthy
environment throughout Montana by protecting and restoring water quality from the harmful
effects of nonpoint source pollution by implementing the Montana Nonpoint Source
Management Plan as directed under Section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act. Through 319
project funding, DEQ provides approximately $1,000,000 each year to local watershed groups,
conservation districts, government entities, and other stakeholders to design and implement
on-the-ground projects that reduce and prevent nonpoint source pollution. For the next
several years, we are committing the bulk of these funds to projects within the Lower Gallatin
Watershed.
Within the City of Bozeman, several streams are designated as “impaired” by DEQ, meaning
they are not fully supporting their designated beneficial uses, including recreation and aquatic
life:
Mandeville Creek, causes of impairment are total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
East Gallatin River, causes of impairment are total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
Bridger Creek, causes of impairment are chlorophyll-a (algae) and nitrate/nitrite.
Bozeman Creek (Sourdough Creek), causes of impairment are alteration in stream-side
vegetative cover, chlorophyll-a (algae), E. Coli bacteria, nitrogen, and sedimentation/
siltation. DEQ has identified two tributaries as contributing significant pollutant
loading: Matthew Bird Creek (nitrogen and E. coli) and Nash Spring Creek (nitrogen).
Reductions in one or more pollution sources are necessary in these streams to restore water
quality. These streams also have reaches that flow through city parks or adjacent to Bozeman’s
extensive trail system. This makes them good candidates for targeted projects and practices
that would be eligible for 319 funding to reduce nonpoint source pollution while
simultaneously meeting goals of the PRAT:
the PRAT Plan explicitly recognizes an opportunity to “redefine Bozeman’s relationship
to our natural systems and to develop approaches for City-owned and managed parks to
effectively protect our natural places for the use and enjoyment of generations to come”
[Goal 4 Intro, page 93]
the PRAT plan recommends enhancement of riparian areas and wetland corridors
within existing and new parks through the concurrently developed Design Manual
[Recommendation 4.6, page 98]
the PRAT Design Manual includes “striving to maintain or enhance ecological function
and resiliency of its assets” as a Unifying Principle [Design Manual, page 2]
As a Bozeman resident, I have observed two excellent opportunities for projects when walking
the trails near my home. Both are along Matthew Bird Creek and adjacent to the Gallagator
Trail: one north of W. Mason Street by the Langhor Community Gardens, and one on the spur
trail east of the intersection of College Street and Black Avenue. In both locations, revegetation
and stabilization of the banks could reduce sediment loads in Matthew Bird Creek before it
flows into Bozeman Creek. In addition, the proximity of both to a heavily used trail corridor
makes them ideal locations for educational signage that teaches trail users about their role in
nonpoint source pollution, and how the City of Bozeman is taking action to address it.
DEQ would like to encourage the City of Bozeman to work with us to reduce the City’s impact
on water quality while also achieving objectives in the PRAT Plan. We can provide further
technical guidance on nonpoint sources of pollution and actions to address them. As previously
mentioned, municipalities are eligible to apply directly for 319 project funding, but there are
also opportunities to partner with the Gallatin Watershed Council or other local organizations
to administer projects within City parks. Please feel free to contact me with any questions
about nonpoint source pollution or the 319 project funding.
Sincerely,
Torie Haraldson
Water Quality Specialist, Montana DEQ
Nonpoint Source & Wetlands Section
torie.haraldson@mt.gov