Project FREEFLOW
Chris Ruffatto, coordinator
Flathead River Educational Effort for
Focused Learning in
Our Watershed
FREEFLOW is an extra curricular activity at Whitefish High School. It is designed as a gifted and talented program for students interested in Conservation, Wildlife, Forestry, Ground Water, Streams, Lakes, Land Use, Agriculture or any other activity that either uses or affects water resources. Any student can participate.
FREEFLOW has been in existence for about ten years. We have collected Chemical, Physical, and Biological data on Haskill Creek since the beginning of the program. The sampling times occur once during the fall (during base flow) and twice during spring (before and after peak flow). Data is provided to the Montana Volunteer Water Monitoring Network in Bozeman. We collect Chemical, Physical, and Biological data on Whitefish Lake four times per year as part of the Flathead Basin Commission Lake Sampling Program.
FREEFLOW students have the opportunity to become involved in contemporary issues affecting Water Resources in Whitefish and around the state. Past field trips have included:
Road Building on Stoltze Land and Lumber and State Lands
Monitoring Timber Harvest Techniques in selected cutting units
Water Resource development on Big Mountain
Water Resource development on Iron Horse Golf Course
Ground Water Hydrology, Well Drilling, and Water Witching
City of Whitefish Water Treatment Plant
City of Whitefish / U of M Storm Water Runoff TMDL Study
Swift Creek Stream Restoration Projects; Private and Plum Cr. Land
Kalispell Sewage Treatment and Nutrient Removal Facility
Montana Water Summit: Yellow Bay on Flathead Lake
Montana Water Summit: Butte, Montana
Montana Water Summit: U of Indiana Geology Field Camp, Cardwell
Kerr Dam Hydroelectric Facility
City of Whitefish Sewage Treatment Plant
Culligan Water, Kalispell
Ground Water Monitoring at FVCC state Monitoring Well
Glacier Park Sewage Treatment and Nutrient Removal Facility
FREEFLOW students have completed two publications:
Haskill Creek Watershed Survey 1995
Haskill Creek Stream Reach Inventory 2003 A hard copy of this study is available at the High School
Approximately 60 students will participate in FREEFLOW for the 2004-2005 school year. Field Trips are done with a maximum of 25 students to insure a quality experience.
In addition to our normal data collection on Haskill Creek we will be beginning a multiyear ground water study this year. The focus of the study will be to characterize groundwater chemistry and geology within a ten mile radius of Whitefish. Students will be able to perform chemical, physical and biological testing on their own well or other wells of their choice.
The immediate focus of the study will be to develop student knowledge regarding the nature of groundwater as it occurs in the Flathead Valley. When samples are taken, the geologic source of the water will be noted. For the most part this geology will be characterized as relatively recent valley fill post glacial deposits (outwash plain, glacial till, lacustrine sediment, aeolian silt deposits), alluvial deposits (along the Flathead River), and pre-cambrian structural limestone bedrock (the stuff that makes up the mountains).
Through the analysis of well logs and using a well probe, students will be able to characterize perched water tables, clay (impermeable) lenses, limited ground water areas, confined aquifers, unconfined aquifers, artesian aquifers, static water levels, water yield (gallons per minute), draw down and recharge rates, well development (driven or pounded), casing design (perforated and non-perforated) and pump installation. Information from the United States Geological Survey, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and the Bureau of Mines and Geology will be instrumental in providing educational resources for the students.
In the past we have worked with Ground Water Hydrologists and "Water Witches". the later have proved to be fascinating to students. The interest in the supernatural or unexplained always proves to be a great motivating place to begin a more pragmatic or scientific study.
To round off our study we will try to identify wells that may be contaminated. The contamination sources may be difficult to identify but we will test for pesticides, lead, arsenic, nitrates, phosphates and bacteria. If high levels of bacteria are present, further testing would be recommended through a local laboratory.
The overall study design is incomplete at this time. In particular, data recording, display, and presentation techniques need to be identified. The process of approaching the issue of contamination sources and recommending mitigation needs to be carefully handled. Limits to our involvement while suggesting further help will necessary.