Commission grants EPA access to section of Milk River

The Hill County Commission approved a memorandum of understanding with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and granted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permission to study part of the Milk River.

During the meeting Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said the EPA sent the county a letter requesting permission to pass through county-owned land to access a section of the Milk River that they want to study for their National Rivers and Streams Program.

Peterson said the agency wants to examine stream conditions by collecting biological and habitat information in the area which will help them evaluate regional conditions and create reports that will inform public policy.

He said the agency only needs one day in the summer of this year or next year to gather the data they need.

He said he sees no reason to deny the agency access to their land, as locals use that area all the time.

The commission approved the request unanimously.

The commission also approved a memorandum of understanding with Montana DNRC, to reimburse them for maintenance work done on sensors installed in the outflow of Beaver Creek Park’s lower lake.

Peterson said the commission would agree to pay up to $27,710 over five years for the department’s ongoing maintenance of the devices, excluding the cost of a potential replacement.

He said the actual cost of the maintenance will likely be significantly lower than that and $27,710 is just the limit.

Data from these devices is viewable on DNRC’s stream gauge explorer, which is available on their website at https://gis.dnrc.mt.gov/apps/stage/gage-report .

The commission also approved a budget adjustment of the Hill County Sheriff’s office to receive money from a Stonegarden grant.

Hill County Clerk and Recorder Lexis Dixon said she wanted to clarify that this is not an updated grant, as noted on the commissioner’s business meeting agenda, but a separate grant from the one passed last week.

She also said the math in the grant didn’t add up, but Hill County Treasurer Sandy Brown and a Hill County Sheriff’s deputy were able to clear up the confusion after the issue had been temporarily tabled.

The motion was unanimously approved at the end of the meeting.