Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins

The basin-fill aquifers between the Rockies in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming — small populations, high stakes per well because alternatives are far

States

MT, ID, WY, WA, OR

Type

Quaternary alluvial basin-fill in structural valleys between mountain ranges

Status

Generally stable; some basins show declines at urban centers; localized arsenic and uranium

The Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer system is the basin-fill aquifer in the structural valleys between the mountain ranges of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and adjacent eastern Washington and Oregon. The region is geologically a continuation of the Basin and Range structure into the Northern Rockies, but with a wetter climate, more snowmelt-driven recharge, and (mostly) less of the volcanic-source arsenic and fluoride that plague the Great Basin.

The populated valleys are recognizable from any Western road trip: the Gallatin Valley around Bozeman, the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, the Helena Valley, the Boise Valley (the Treasure Valley), Jackson Hole, the Big Hole, the Madison Valley, the Salmon River basin. Each is a discrete structural basin filled with hundreds to thousands of feet of Quaternary alluvium, recharged by the snowmelt and runoff from the surrounding ranges. Each is its own water budget — and many are now dealing with the consequences of population growth that has outpaced the modest historical groundwater management.

What it is, geologically

Each basin is a structural graben or downwarp filled with Quaternary alluvial sands and gravels deposited by the rivers draining the surrounding ranges. Saturated thicknesses vary from tens to over a thousand feet. The aquifer is generally unconfined in the upper portions of the fill and may transition to semi-confined at depth where clay-rich layers are present.

Recharge happens primarily as mountain-front recharge — snowmelt from the surrounding ranges either runs off as surface flow that infiltrates at the basin margins, or moves through fractured bedrock and emerges at the mountain front. Modern climate change is shifting the snowmelt timing and total volume, with effects on aquifer recharge that are still being characterized.

Population centers

• Bozeman, MT — Gallatin Valley aquifer; one of the fastest-growing US small metros (roughly doubled since 2000); water-supply pressure increasing.
• Missoula, MT — Missoula Valley aquifer; designated a Sole Source Aquifer by EPA in 1988.
• Helena, MT — Helena Valley aquifer; mix of municipal and private well supply.
• Boise / Treasure Valley, ID — Boise River Basin Quaternary aquifer plus underlying volcanic systems; rapid growth driving heavier pumping.
• Jackson Hole, WY — Jackson Valley aquifer; small population, expensive real estate, vulnerable wells.
• Bitterroot Valley, MT — Hamilton, Stevensville, Corvallis; rural-residential development on private wells.
• Sun Valley / Hailey area, ID — Big Wood River basin.

Water quality

Water quality in the Northern Rocky Mountain basins is generally good — cold, clean, low TDS, moderate hardness. The localized concerns:

• Arsenic — naturally elevated in some specific basins, derived from volcanic and hydrothermal source rocks. The Jefferson Valley (MT) and parts of the Treasure Valley (ID) have documented exceedances. Less universal than Basin and Range. See arsenic.
• Uranium — pockets, particularly in basins draining granitic source rocks. See uranium.
• Radon — the surrounding granite ranges produce elevated radon in many basin wells. See radon.
• Fluoride — locally elevated in some volcanic-influenced basins.
• Nitrates — agricultural and septic-source; relevant in the Treasure Valley, Bitterroot Valley, and other basins with substantial agriculture and rural-residential development. See nitrates.
• Bacteria — shallow wells in rural-residential areas (especially those with septic systems) can be vulnerable. See bacteria.
• Mining-legacy contamination — the Northern Rockies have a long history of metal mining (Butte MT, Coeur d'Alene ID, etc.); some basins have legacy heavy-metal contamination from historical mining and ore-processing operations.

Mining legacy as a regional overlay

The Northern Rockies are one of the most-mined regions in US history. Butte, MT's Berkeley Pit and the Clark Fork Superfund Complex represent some of the largest contaminated sites in the country. Coeur d'Alene, ID has the Bunker Hill Superfund site with documented heavy-metal contamination of the Coeur d'Alene River and adjacent groundwater. Smaller historical mining operations have produced localized contamination across MT, ID, and WY that affects specific drainages and the basins downstream.

If your private well is in or downgradient of a known historical mining region, the standard panel needs to add lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, and arsenic specifically, plus pH (acid mine drainage produces low-pH water).

Known contaminant concerns

Communities on this aquifer