Funded by:
Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Protection
Agency
As a critical part of the ongoing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
analysis in the Swan River Basin, empirical information is being
gathered on the flux of nutrients and organic matter through the
Swan River corridor and into Swan Lake. Previous work had demonstrated
an oxygen deficit in the deep areas of Swan Lake during late summer,
which may have been caused by loading of nutrients and organic matter
from the river. The objective of the present study is to document
the amount and timing of delivery of nutrients and organic matter
to Swan Lake and to relate the land uses and geomorphology of the
river and its catchment to observed loading patterns within the
corridor. Data collection is a collaboration between the Flathead
Lake Biological Station (FLBS) and the Montana Department of Natural
Resources and Conservation and is aided by the volunteer efforts
of Friends of the Wild Swan and the Swan Ecosystem Center.
