Montana Department of Environmental Quality About Us Permitting & Operator Assistance Public Participation

Water Quality | Draft 2022-2024 Water Quality Integrated Report and Draft pH Assessment Method for Streams and Rivers in Montana| Comment Period Closes January 13th, 2026

  • November 14 2025

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking public comments on Montana’s Draft 2022-2024 Water Quality Integrated Report and the Draft pH Assessment Method for Streams and Rivers in Montana.

Public comments on the Draft 2022-2024 Water Quality Integrated Report and Draft pH Assessment Method for Streams and Rivers in Montana documents will be accepted until Jan. 13, 2026. DEQ will use comments received to prepare the final documents for submittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval. 

DEQ assesses whether state surface waters are meeting applicable water quality standards for specific water quality characteristics, or parameters. If a waterbody is not meeting one or more water quality standards, DEQ considers the waterbody impaired and adds it to Montana’s list of impaired waters in the Water Quality Integrated Report. The Draft 2022-2024 Water Quality Integrated Report includes a list of Montana waterbodies that are impaired and in need of water quality restoration, the subset of impaired waters that require development of specific total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), known as the 303(d) list, and a schedule for preparing those TMDLs. A TMDL is the total amount of a pollutant that a waterbody may receive from all sources without exceeding water quality standards. The report also includes a summary of state water quality program information, known as the 305(b) report.

Associated Materials:

Comment Period Ends: January 13, 2026

Send Comments To:

DEQ Water Quality Division
Water Quality Planning Bureau
Attn: Gabrielle Metzner
PO Box 200901
Helena, MT 59620

Or electronically to:  DEQWQIR@mt.gov

Accommodation statement

The department will make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities who wish to participate in this public participation process or need an alternative accessible format of this notice. If you require an accommodation, contact the department no later than 5:00 P.M. on January 3rd, 2026, to advise us of the nature of the accommodation that you need. Please contact the Department of Environmental Quality at P.O. Box 200901, Helena, Montana 59620-0901; phone (406) 444-2709; e-mail gabrielle.metzner@mt.gov.

Tags: Public Comment and Water