Flathead Monitoring Program
Administering Entity: Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS)
Entity Type(s): University
Water Resource: Lakes and Reservoirs, Rivers, Streams
Primary Data Type(s): Biology, Geomorphology, Instream Physical, Substrate, Water Chemistry
Primary Watershed Monitoring Objective(s): Aquatic Invasive Species, Baseline, Problem identification, Trends
Subbasins: Flathead Lake
Aquatic Invasive Species Type: Zebra or Quagga mussel
Counties: Flathead, Lake
Volunteers: no
Contact Name: Tyler Tappenbeck
Summary of Monitoring Objectives:
Our regular (roughly monthly) monitoring program provides a clear, consistent record of physical, chemical and biological lake characteristics and changes over time, and reveals threats before they become problems. Our scientific data, especially pertaining to nutrients, have been used by state and federal agencies in the development of water quality standards via the Clean Water Act’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process. Our research continues to address cutting edge questions about the ecological conditions of the lake.