GRTF among groups urging caution around new ‘narrative standards’ as state rolls back numeric pollution review
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, nonprofit water activist group Upper Missouri Waterkeeper launched a petition demanding the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to pause its permitting process in the wake of recent changes to environmental law. On Oct. 3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved Montana House Bill 664, which removed requirements for DEQ to evaluate nutrient water quality numerically—instead reverting to “narrative standards” that tend to be less strict.
The petition demands that DEQ pause “any new or renewed pollution discharge permits until a lawful, science-based plan is in place to protect Montana’s waterways from nutrient pollution,” according to a Waterkeeper press release. Various regional groups including Gallatin River Task Force, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Montana Environmental Information Center, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Bitterroot River Protection Association, Citizens for a Better Flathead and Flathead Lakers all support the petition.
Kristin Gardner, GRTF’s chief executive and science director, stated in an email to EBS that rivers like the Gallatin are the backbone of Montana communities, impacting economies and ways of life. This summer, local outfitters including Montana Whitewater and Montana Troutchasers spoke in opposition to a Big Sky subdivision permit, arguing poor water quality could hurt river health and outdoor-based businesses in communities like Big Sky.
“Issuing wastewater discharge permits without a clear, science-driven plan jeopardizes these resources—and the people who depend on them,” Gardner stated. “Montanans deserve water policy grounded in science, not uncertainty.”
A 2025 study by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks found the economic impact of Montana’s cold-water fishing economy to be $1.3 billion. According to a 2020 DEQ study, more than one-third of assessed Montana waterways were already impaired by pollution, and the Gallatin River has since joined the list.
Previous EPA standards required DEQ to use a well-developed body of science—including numeric nutrient criteria—to inform all nutrient pollution permitting decisions involving the federal Clean Water Act. Now, Waterkeeper argues the agency lacks an implementation plan detailing how it should apply narrative nutrient criteria, with potential negative impacts to “countless river miles” across Montana.
“Right now, DEQ is flying blind without a plan in place to determine—and prevent—harmful levels of nutrient pollution for most Montana waterways,” Guy Alsentzer, Waterkeeper executive director, stated in the release. “This hands-off approach to regulating point-source pollution is a recipe for disaster.”
EPA’s letter approving HB 664 urged the state to develop rules to implement narrative nutrient evaluation using “best available science,” and submit them for federal review—Waterkeeper’s petition calls for DEQ to prioritize developing those standards before issuing further permits.
The release included an FAQ webpage to inform the public on the differences between nutrient- and narrative-based standards—and purported drawbacks to the latter.
Finally, Waterkeeper asserted that potential permits issued without “clear, defensible metrics for preventing nutrient-caused harm” could arguably violate Montanans’ constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment and violate federal Clean Water Act requirements. The release urged citizens to sign the petition and contact their state representative, as well as Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office at 406-444-3111, and DEQ Director Sonja Nowakowski at 406-444-2544.
