Planning, Prevention, and Assistance Division Goals

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION & PLANNING GOALS

Provide technical and financial assistance in the form of engineering review, grants, and loans to small businesses, community water systems, watershed citizens' groups, and conservation districts; develop and implement water quality protection plans that restore impaired waterways and protect community water supplies.

These are broad-based goals these goals may cover more than one resource
  • Complete assessments to determine support of beneficial uses on 165 stream segments in FY 2008 and on 180 segments in FY 2009.
  • Complete 184 water quality restoration plans/TMDLs in FY 2008, and 194 in FY 2009.
  • Compile and submit the biannual Water Quality Integrated Report for federal review in FY 2009.
  • Increase the volume of materials that are recycled or otherwise diverted from landfills from 15% to 17%.
  • Provide technical assistance to small businesses on pollution prevention, pollution control and environmental management. Reach a least 450 businesses annually.
  • Improve the energy efficiency of new and existing residential, commercial and institutional buildings constructed in Montana. Reach at least 500 architects, builders, code inspectors or consumers annually.
  • Finance cost effective energy conservation in state owned buildings through the State Buildings Energy Program. Achieve savings of at least $750,000 annually through projects.
  • Complete approximately 450 wastewater and public drinking water technical assistance efforts.
  • Close 10-15 drinking water, wastewater, and non-point source state revolving fund loans.
  • Complete approximately 100 source water assessments and water quality protection technical assistance efforts.

WATER QUALITY PLANNING BUREAU OBJECTIVES:

  • Watershed Management
    • Develop approximately 400 total maximum daily loads over the next two years, and submit them to for federal approval.
    • Provide financial assistance to local governments to participate in development of about 40 TMDLs, and take a lead role in implementation of watershed restoration measures on another 36 rivers and streams.
    • Assist local governments in establishing and supporting local water quality districts to protect, maintain, and improve water quality through technical assistance and annual monitoring.
    • Assist and support statewide citizen volunteer water quality monitoring of lakes and streams in 14 watersheds, through training and participation on the Statewide Volunteer Monitoring Committee.
  • Water Quality Monitoring
    • Operate a statewide fixed-station water quality monitoring network of approximately 42 stations, and track conditions and trends at index locations and provide information on cumulative effects of activities and management efforts.
    • Assist with development of Total Maximum Daily Loads by conducting approximately 650  statewide assessments of streams and lakes, developing and revising the Clean Water Act' 303(d) Montana impaired waters list, conducting intensive surveys of pollution causes and sources, developing pollution allocations, identifying pollution control alternatives, and evaluating effectiveness of control measures.
    • Perform a biennial statewide water quality assessment and contribute to the development of the Montana 303d and 305(b) reports.
  • Water Quality Standards
    • Review and update Montana's water quality standards to insure full support of beneficial uses such as drinking and stock water, agriculture, fisheries, wildlife, and industrial uses. 
    • Support the development of biological water quality criteria and water quality standards revisions through sampling design, data collection and assessment.
  • Data Management
    • Administer an effective water quality monitoring and assessment quality assurance/quality control program, including developing and refining standard operating procedures for data collection and assessment.
    • Administer and provide training in operation of the STORET water quality data management system.
    • Perform a biennial statewide water quality assessment of nearly 1000 water bodies and contribute to the development of the Montana 303d and 305(b) reports.
    • Develop and operate a data management system for assessing water bodies for beneficial use support and prioritizing waters for TMDL development, as required by the Montana Water Quality Act.

TECHNICAL & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BUREAU OBJECTIVES:

  • Drinking Water Revolving Fund
    • Manage the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program to provide low interest loan financing for drinking water treatment system construction and improvements. Execute approximately 20 million dollars in loans through 2006-2007. 
    • Provide approximately 200 technical assistance and training efforts to public water systems, including communities whose systems have chronic violations that threaten public health, communities requesting help to correct operation and maintenance problems or to develop needed water system improvement projects, and communities whose systems will benefit from regularly scheduled visits designed to enhance the systems fiscal, managerial and technical capability.
    • Manage approximately 6 water system construction and improvement projects funded through the State and Tribal Agreement Grant  Program.
    • Provide engineering review of approximately 25 drinking water system improvements necessary to ensure safe, reliable, high quality water supplies.
    • Ensure that all new community and non-transient non-community public water supply systems and all systems receiving Drinking Water SRF loans have the necessary technical, financial and managerial capability to comply with the primary requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  • Source Water Protection and Wetland Programs
    • Delineate sources, direction, and flow of ground and surface waters that supply public drinking water wells and intakes; assess potential threats to these source waters; compile data; and provide results to the public. Complete approximately 450 assessments by 2007. 
    • Assist local communities develop and implement plans to protect source waters that supply public drinking water.
    • Develop and implement the Montana Wetland Program through education, technical assistance and grants for local governments.
    • Educate Montanans on benefits of conserving wetlands for water quality, water quantity, habitat, and flood control purposes; and develop a statewide strategy to understand, protect, sustain, and enhance Montana wetlands through a collaborative process with agencies and citizens. Facilitate 3 Wetland Council meetings, one wetland monitoring and assessment meeting, and four technical/coordination meetings each year.
    • Collaboratively develop a Comprehensive Ground Water Protection Plan with other state agencies, local governments and citizens.
  • Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund
    • Manage the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund Program, which offers low-interest loans for wastewater system construction and improvements and for related water pollution control projects. Execute approximately 30 million dollars in loans in 2006-2007.
    • Manage approximately 10 wastewater system construction and improvement projects funded through the State and Tribal Agreement Grant Program.
    • Provide training and technical assistance to water and wastewater treatment operators. Jointly manage the Montana Environmental Training Center (METC) in conjunction with MSU-Northern, and jointly sponsor the spring and fall operator water schools with METC and MSU-Bozeman.
    • Provide approximately 600  technical assistance efforts to water and wastewater treatment communities through system performance evaluations, operation and maintenance inspections, and system self-assessment evaluations. Assist communities with implementation of the nondegradation policy and with other related department rules and requirements.
    • Provide engineering review of approximately 40 wastewater system improvement projects necessary to keep facilities in compliance with state standards.

ENERGY & POLLUTION PREVENTION BUREAU OBJECTIVES:

  • Provide technical assistance to small businesses on pollution prevention, pollution control and emissions detection through site visits, workshops, and a toll-free hotline. Initiate or respond to 3,000 business contacts annually.
  • Promote the reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting of waste materials in state government and throughout Montana  through education and technical assistance.  Achieve a recycling and composting rate of 17% of the solid waste stream by 2008.
  • Provide analysis, technical support and recommendations on energy and pollution prevention issues to local, state, and federal decision makers.
  • Improve the energy efficiency of new residential and non-residential building by 10% over levels in 2000 by 2007. 
  • Provide financial assistance to state agencies to make capitol improvements to state-owned buildings that reduce utility cost including energy and water. Make 2.5 million dollars of improvements to state owned buildings in the 2006-2007 time period.
  • Develop and support partnerships with local governments and schools to reduce energy use and realize cost savings through efficiency improvements.  Encourage energy performance contracting as a means of diverting utility dollars to pay for needed improvements in local governments and schools. 
  • Increase the use of renewable energy in Montana both for cost effective applications, and to condition the market for future renewable energy development.  Increase the number and amount of loans made through the renewable energy loan program to $200,000 annually.  Monitor wind sites at 10 locations annually, collect data and provide it on a web site with easy accessibility for Montanans.