DEQ to host Big Hole River water quality open house in Divide

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will host a public open house later this month to provide updates on water quality conditions and restoration efforts in the Big Hole River watershed.

The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on June 23 at the Divide Grange Hall, located at 105 Schoolhouse Road in Divide.

DEQ staff will share information from a recent water quality assessment of the Big Hole River and answer questions about ongoing and future projects in the watershed. Representatives from Save Wild Trout, the Big Hole Watershed Committee, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and Montana Trout Unlimited will also be in attendance.

According to DEQ, excessive algae growth has been identified in parts of the watershed, prompting efforts to identify pollution sources and develop strategies to improve water quality.

The first streams in the Big Hole watershed were added to Montana’s impaired waters list in 1988. Since then, more than $1.35 million in federal funding has supported projects aimed at reducing pollution and improving stream habitat, flow and water temperatures.

DEQ says it has completed 91 pollution-reduction plans, known as Total Maximum Daily Loads, for the Big Hole River and its tributaries. The agency noted that arsenic and lead impairments were removed from Elkhorn Creek in 2025 following successful restoration efforts.

More information about the meeting is available on DEQ’s website.