Teton Spring Creek Stream Restoration

Teton Spring Creek rises out of the aquifer of the Teton River, fed mostly by groundwater and to a lesser extent local precipitation and irrigation return flow.  Water quality for Teton Spring Creek was assessed in 2001 and Upper Teton Spring Creek (above Choteau) was listed in the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MT DEQ) 303d database for water quality impairments including alteration of streamside vegetative cover, flow, temperature and sedimentation/siltation. 

In 2023, MT Freshwater Partners secured Nonpoint Source Project Funding from MT DEQ to support a project aimed at reducing livestock impacts to the riparian area and reestablishing riparian plants on a private ranch along Teton Spring Creek.  Funding will support the development of off-channel water infrastructure for livestock and exclusion fencing to remove both wildlife and livestock pressure to allow for riparian plants to grow back.  This project is currently under construction and will be completed in 2025.