Background and Purpose

The purpose of the project was to determine the magnitude and extent of groundwater drawdown and stream depletion occurring due to high-capacity irrigation pumping from aquifers, and to evaluate possible impacts to sloughs and the Beaverhead River from future groundwater development.

Groundwater/surface-water interactions and pumping effects on water resources were examined through a detailed hydrogeologic investigation of the study area, which included field studies, analysis of data, and numerical modeling.

Project Scope

This GWIP study characterizes the hydrogeology and examines how the groundwater and surface-water systems respond to pumping through the following tasks:

• Collection of hydrologic data to determine aquifer properties, groundwater movement, and development of a water budget for the area
• Evaluated long-term groundwater trends and factors influencing these trends
• Assessed groundwater/surface-water interaction
• Evaluated potential stream depletion and aquifer drawdown due to pumping from irrigation wells using analytical and numerical modeling

Installing surface water instrumentation on Blacktail Creek.

Project Factsheet— 2011 (pdf file)

Project Updates:
Lower Beaverhead Area Progress Report – May 2012 (pdf file)

Presentations:

• November 27, 2012 – Beaverhead Watershed Committee

Project Reports and Publications:

• Hydrogeolgic investigation of the Beaverhead River study area, Beaverhead County,Montana: MBMG 637
• Groundwater modeling report: MBMG 638

Project Data avaliable here:
http://mbmggwic.mtech.edu/sqlserver/v11/menus/menuProject.asp?mygroup= &myroot=BWIPNH&ord=1&

Project Duration:
September 2009 to September 2012

GWIP Personnel Assigned:

Ginette Abdo – Team Leader/Hydrogeologist
406.496.4152
gabdo@mtech.ed

Julie Butler – Groundwater Modeler/Hydrogeologist

Todd Myse – Hydrogeologist
406.496.4838
tmyse@mtech.edu

Dean Snyder – Hydrogeologist
406.496.4882
dsnyder@mtech.edu

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