Two groups pushing for more Silver Bow Creek Restoration

Photo courtesy of http://www.geochemicaltransactions.com/

Butte, MT's Silver Bow Creek was the original "Shit Creek."  It was used as a sewer; industrial mine waste, reduction, and smelting dump; as well as being polluted from secondary industries to the mines.  For many years, the "riparian" area of Silver Bow as it flowed out of Butte towards Anaconda looked more like Mars than a stream in Montana.  While the creek still has some serious pollution problems, the majority of its length has seriously benefited from restoration activities stemming from the Superfund listing in the 90's.

However, the "creek" upstream from the confluence with Blacktail Creek right in Butte, is not considered a creek at all.  It is technically Butte's Metro Storm Drain.  This classification allows for much less regulation and protections than if it were a true "stream."

Two groups, the Silver Bow Creek Headwaters Coalition and Project Green have rallied to push for stream restoration for the Metro Storm Drain.  Silver Bow Creek Headwaters Coalition even filed a lawsuit (2010) over the Metro Storm Drain classification.   

While I'm all about stream restoration, there is a lot to be considered here and currently I have no strong stance on the subject.  Here's what I do know. This section of Silver Bow is dry unless there is a major rain event as the water that would flow in the creek is diverted to an underground storm drain system. The restored part of Silver Bow downstream is becoming a great fishery (believe it or not) and I really enjoy the new, super long trail system that runs along it.  However, by midsummer, the flows and temps in Silver Bow get really low and warm, threatening this great new asset.  If the Metro Storm Drain section was to be restored, I'd hope this would add significantly more water to the system.  Furthermore, there would be a great natural conduit for delivering more clean water to Silver Bow once the water treatment begins in the Berkeley pit.

No matter what happens, it's good to see people give a damn about Silver Bow.  Get the full story in today's MT Standard.