Links to Water Information from A-Z

A Layperson's Guide
compiled by the
Gallatin Local Water Quality District
&
Montana Water Center

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Categories / Topics	For information on......
Basic Hydrology and Soils	The water cycle, where it comes from and how it moves.
Chemistry of Water	Arsenic to lead to nitrate.
Drinking Water	Local, regional and national resources.
Educational Resources	Information and activities for teachers, students, and citizens.
Gallatin County Resources	Maps, photos, haz-waste collection, recycling events.
Other Links	Local, state-wide and national links to water resources sites...EPA, USGS.
Microbiology of Drinking Water	Information on bacteria in drinking water.
Publications	Documents on local water resources plus US EPA publications.
Source Water Protection	Montana Source Water Protection Program, wellhead protection facts.
Wastewater/Septic Systems	Septic systems and alternative systems. Includes: site selection, design, inspections, installation, and maintenance.
Water Data for Montana	Maps, stream flow data, weather and well logs.
Water Testing	Home sampling, parameters tested, interpretation of test results.
Water Treatment	Shock chlorination, treatment systems, water softeners.
Watersheds (Streams, Lakes, Wetlands)	Montana watersheds, national organizations, and information on watershed components.
Wells	Construction, disinfection.

Basic Hydrology and Soils

• Ground Water Atlas of the United States - USGS. This series describes the location, extent, and the geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the important aquifers of the nation.
• Soil Surveys - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), USDA Soils Webpage. A site for helping people understand soils. Links to soil survey manuals by state.
• Protecting Ground Water Quality  - American Society of Civil Engineers basic primer
• Understanding Ground Water - Nebraska Cooperative Extension (NCE).
• Ground Water Basics - The Groundwater Foundation
• Montana Soil Surveys - List of published soil surveys, Montana soil survey status maps, on-line soil surveys, how to use and how to get a soil survey.
• Ground Water Protection Plan for Montana - Partnerships for Watershed and Ground Water Protection in Montana.

Chemistry of Water

• Arsenic - Drinking water standards and treatment options.
• Chemicals (Man-made) - Practices to manage man-made chemicals in a domestic water supply.  NCE
• Copper in Drinking Water  - NCE
• How Groundwater Contamination Occurs -  (ACE)
• Lead in Drinking Water - NCE
• Montana's Water: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
• Nitrate, Nitrite and Nitrogen - Why are these important?

Drinking Water

• City of Bozeman – City Water Quality Report, Water and Sewer Department, Water Treatment Plant, Sanitation Division.
• Montana Public Water Supply Program - Montana DEQ.  Public drinking water supply. 
• Drinking Water State Revolving Fund – Montana DEQ. Statutes and rules, public facility financial assistance application.
• Montana Source Water Protection Program – Montana DEQ. Source Water Assessment Reports (SWAP) Implementation, SWAP Report Access & Query Database System, on-line mapping tools, forms, guidance and worksheets.
• PWS Operator Training - DEQ. Montana Water and Wastewater Operator Certification Program.
• PWS “Operator Basics” Training Series – MT Water Center. On-line training for operators of small public drinking water systems.
• Drinking Water Glossary - EPA - Office of Water. A quick reference for consumers to understand basic drinking water-related terms in the context of their daily lives. (EPA - Office of Water)
• National Drinking Water Clearinghouse - Assisting small communities by collecting, developing, and providing timely information relevant to drinking water issues.
• Safe Drinking Water Hotline - Online questions to the EPA
• Small Systems Compliance Technology - EPA - Office of Water. Lists, links, and findings concerning variance technologies, contaminant levels and treatment rules.
• Drinking Water Programs in Montana - USGS.  Hydrogeology of the Gallatin Local Water Quality District and other water resource evaluation projects throughout the state.
• Drinking Water and Ground Water - EPA Office of Water.  Links to drinking water standards, drinking water and health basics and more.

Educational Resources

• Drinking Water -- Where does it come from? How do impurities get there? An educational primer from 'Newton's Apple' - a public television family science show.
• Math & Science Resources - Science & Math Consortium for Northwest schools. 
• Montana Watercourse / Project WET - 'Know your Watershed' events, Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring, Water Education for Teachers, groundwater model and stream-side traveling trunks.
• Water Science for Schools - U.S. Geological Survey. Information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge.
• Montana State University Extension Service - Educational resource providing research-based knowledge in natural resources, pollution prevention, agriculture and community development.

Gallatin County Resources

• Montana Pollution Prevention Program - Resource for Montana's small businesses and citizens to minimize waste and create a safer environment to live and work in.  Publications, videos, pollution prevention/solid waste library, Montana material exchange, EcoStar Award, and more.
• Spatial Data for Septic Assessment - Comprehensive database for septic system review in the Gallatin Local Water Quality District.
• Gallatin Local Water Quality District (GLWQD) – Ground water, hydrogeology, surface water and wetland information. Household Hazardous Waste Collection and resources, controlled ground water areas (Idaho Pole, Bozeman Solvent Site, Sypes Canyon). Water resources education information. Potential contaminant source inventory for the GLWQD. Color-infrared imagery of the Gallatin Valley.
• Gallatin County Environmental Health – Septic permit and installation inspections. Soil suitability analysis and percolation tests. Subdivision review assistance. Public water supply inspections.
• Gallatin County Open Lands Board – Open space bond, conservation easements, open lands preservation tools, new and meetings, grants and government preservation programs.
• Gallatin County Planning Department – Land use planning and zoning, rural land use, FEMA flood plain maps, floodplain administration, county-wide growth plan, links to floodplain maps.

Other Links 

• AWWA -- Extensive collection of Government WEB sites - Canada and U.S.
• AWRA – American Water Resources Association.
• Montana Local Water Quality Districts - Link to information about LWQD's in Montana.
• MONTANA WATER - A gateway to water sites and information around Big Sky country.
• Office of Water - U.S. EPA. National water programs, laws and regulations, and more.
• Water Resources of the United States - USGS. Data, publications, daily stream flow conditions, and technical resources.

Microbiology of Drinking Water

• Bacteria in Drinking Water - Sources, indications, health effects, testing for and interpreting results. Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
• Bacteria, Drinking Water and Private Wells - National Ground Water Association.  FAQ's about bacteria and drinking water supplied by private wells.

Publications 

• Analysis of Septic System Failure in Gallatin County, Montana - (PDF format) This report assesses the reasons for septic system failure in the Gallatin Local Water Quality District. Its goal is to identify correlations between failures due to poor site evaluation, improper installation, or insufficient maintenance of septic systems. 
• Administrative Techniques for Curtailing Septic System Pollution - (PDF Format) The purpose of this paper is to summarize actions that are available to regulatory jurisdictions to mitigate groundwater pollution from septic systems. 
• EPA Publications
• The Gallatin Watershed Sourcebook -- A Resident's Guide. 1998. (PDF Format)
• Sourdough Watershed Map - A map with educational information about the Bozeman Creek (Sourdough Creek) watershed.  Developed by the Bozeman Watershed Council.  Free copies are available.  Contact Gallatin Local Water Quality District.

Click here to download Acrobat PDF reader

Source Water Protection 

• Farm-A-Syst / Home-A-Syst – University of Wisconsin Extension Service
• Home Waste Systems - A broad collection of information from batteries to solvents - Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
• Farm-A-Syst
• Protecting your Groundwater through Farm-A-Syst Publications - NDSU Extension
• Montana Source Water Protection Program - MT DEQ. All the steps involved in developing a Source Water Protection plan, events and training calendars, and a basic guidance manual.
• Montana Source Water Protection Training and Technical Guidance - Interactive CD-ROM and manual. 

Wastewater - Septic systems

• Analysis of Septic System Failure in Gallatin County, Montana - (PDF format) This report assesses the reasons for septic system failure in the Gallatin Local Water Quality District. Its goal is to identify correlations between failures due to poor site evaluation, improper installation, or insufficient maintenance of septic systems. 
• Administrative Techniques for Curtailing Septic System Pollution - (PDF Format) The purpose of this paper is to summarize actions that are available to regulatory jurisdictions to mitigate groundwater pollution from septic systems. 
• Septic System Additives – Q&A – Montana State University-Extension, Pollution Prevention Program. Information provided to homeowners about septic system additives.
• All Septic System Information Web site - The ultimate site for everything you always wanted to know about septics.
• National Small Flows Clearinghouse - Treatment technologies.
• Septic Systems - An Engineer's View. A good explanation of what septic systems are, how they work, and why they fail.
• Septic System Waste Treatment in Soil
• Septic Tank and Drain field Operation and Maintenance - MSU Extension MONTGUIDE  # MT9401.
• Septic Tank Inspection and Trouble Shooting - MSU Extension MONTGUIDE  # MT9403.

Water Data for Montana

• GWIC - Montana's Ground Water Information Center - Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. 
• National Hydrography Dataset - USGS and EPA. A comprehensive set of digital spatial data that contains information about surface water features such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, springs and wells.
• Natural Resources Information System (NRIS) - State of Montana Library. A comprehensive site for water, natural heritage, and geographic databases, maps, and information. 
• Water Resources of Montana - U.S. Geological Survey.

Water Testing (Home sampling, parameters, and interpretations)

• HACH Company - supplies systems for water testing and water quality analysis.
• What to test drinking water for and where to get it tested - Jim Bauder - MSU Extension
• Reports of Nitrates in Drinking Water Wells Increase - Jim Bauder - MSU Extension
• Quick, Cheap Test for Nitrate - Jim Bauder - MSU Extension
• How to Collect and Handle a Water Sample - Ohio State University.  Procedures for collecting a water sample for bacterial analysis.  

Water Treatment 

• Shock Chlorination of Domestic Water Supplies - Nebraska Cooperative Extension. A guide that describes procedures for introducing chlorine to eliminate bacteria in private water systems.
• Shock Chlorination Process - Ohio State University. 
• Treatment Systems for Household Water Supplies (Long list -- activated carbon, iron and manganese removal, softening, distillation, chlorination, reverse osmosis and more. -- N.D. Cooperative Extension)
• Water Softeners, Septic Systems & Ground Water – A fact sheet from the Gallatin Local Water Quality District.
• Disinfection Methods - Ohio State University.  Advantages and disadvantages of three different methods.

Watersheds (streams, lakes, wetlands)

• Montana Watersheds - Grants and funding, technical resources directory, listing of watershed groups in Montana, watershed FAQ's.
• River Network - Helping people understand, protect and restore rivers and their watersheds.
• Surf your Watershed - EPA. A service to help you locate, use, and share environmental information about your Place.
• Watersheds - EPA Office of Water.  A collection of watershed information including Adopt-a-Watershed, funding, databases, outreach, National Watershed Forum, and the Watershed Information Network. 
• Wetlands - An EPA Division with information on wetland facts, laws, regulations, landowner assistance and stewardship, water quality monitoring, and science education and information resources.  
• Montana Wetlands Information Clearinghouse - MT State Library-NRIS.  An information clearinghouse.  Contains links to maps and photos, Montana NWI Data, wetland indicator species, publications, guide books, articles, metadata, and wetland news/issues.  Montana Wetlands Council. 
• Montana Watershed Coordination Council - An information and support network for volunteer watershed groups in Montana as well as conservation districts and other organizations dedicated to watershed work and water resources.  
• Water Resources - Montana DNRC - Water rights, Board of Water Well Contractors, floodplain management, water supply and management.
• TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads) – Montana DEQ. 303(d) and 305(b) Lists of Impaired Streams. Watershed Restoration Plans, TMDL Schedule, TMDL Program Description, Draft TMDL Plans, TMDL laws and rules, Water Quality Monitoring Standard Operating Procedures.

Wells

• Information for Homeowners with Private Wells - FAQs -- Construction, Contamination ...Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources.
• Private Drinking Water Wells - Testing, protecting, and more. EPA Office of Groundwater and Surface Water
• Relevant Home Pages for Well Owners, Well Drillers, and Pump Installers (Wisconsin DNR).