The Montana Water Trust (MWT) will coordinate and write a subbasin plan for the Bitterroot Watershed.  The FY 2007 contract funded the initial planning, coordination, data gathering and analysis of the subbasin planning process, and covered the activities from June 1, 2007 through July 31, 2008. This contract funds the data synthesis and compilation of the assessment, inventory, and management portions of the plan and will result in the finalization of the plan.  This contract covers activities from August 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009.  

In 2000, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council called for subbasin plans based on local involvement to be adopted into their Fish and Wildlife Program in order to guide future BPA project funding. The Bitterroot Watershed is now one of only four subbasins in the Columbia Basin without a plan.  This watershed covers 2,814 square miles and is the headwaters for the middle Clark Fork River, the Pend O’Reille River, and the Columbia River.  The Bitterroot subbasin is one of the most complex watersheds in Montana, as well as the Columbia Basin, as evidenced by the size and number of tributaries, the historical and current water use structures, and the rapid growth pressures facing the valley.

The Bitterroot subbasin plan will identify and prioritize specific management and restoration actions for fish and wildlife resources in this watershed.  The completed subbasin plan will prove invaluable for synthesizing information in this watershed, as well as for prioritizing future restoration and management efforts of BPA-funded programs and for local, state, federal, or tribal fish and wildlife programs.  In addition, this planning process will provide stakeholders with the opportunity to comprehensively view the historical and existing habitat conditions, integrate the projects and programs currently underway, and coordinate future management efforts.