News

Feb 17, 2024

Healthy water, healthy lives

Quality water is essential for the health of all plants and animals. If you use water provided by the city, water quality is tested for you. However, water that comes from a well should be tested

Quality water is essential for the health of all plants and animals. If you use water provided by the city, water quality is tested for you. However, water that comes from a well should be tested regularly. Teton County’s unique geology plays a significant role in the quality of local water sources. Water quality is also strongly influenced by seasonal runoff conditions.

The Teton River Basin watershed provides water for our region. Here, limestone bedrock plays a key role in the pH of the watershed. Limestone forms in shallow marine environments. Long ago, when dinosaurs roamed Montana, much of the land was under an ocean known as the Western Interior Seaway that stretched from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. This body of water created a bedrock of marine limestone containing bicarbonate that bonds easily with elements like calcium, magnesium and sodium. In addition to limestone, the Teton River Basin is made of a complex mixture of sandstone and mudstone — sedimentary rocks that trace their origins to Montana’s watery past. All this influences Teton County’s soil and water quality today.

Have you noticed the white patches among open fields in our area? Known as alkali seeps, they are evidence of this region’s highly concentrated soil minerals, a legacy of the Western Interior Seaway. While we can see the impact of this high concentration of bicarbonate on plants, similar pockets are underground and can influence groundwater. Another local water quality concern is nitrate levels, which can be elevated in agricultural areas where nitrogen fertilization is common.

A measure of water quality is its pH. The pH of water can vary widely between strongly acidic, like battery acid and strongly basic, like oven cleaner. Extremes in pH can cause severe tissue injury. The ideal range for drinking water is in the middle of this scale and is referred to as neutral.

Alkaline is the term for mixtures that are basic on the pH scale, with values between 7.5 to 14. Due to Teton County’s geologic makeup, local water and soil averages between 8-9 on the pH scale. Alkaline water can lead to a reduction of water intake in cattle and make it difficult for garden plants to absorb some nutrients. In homes, alkaline water can cause scaling of calcium deposits in pipes, water heaters and appliances, leading to premature wear and tear on the fixtures.

Because water quality is integral to health, those whose drinking or irrigation water comes from wells should have their well water tested periodically. Well owners have several options to choose from: Montana State Environmental Laboratory in Helena, Energy Laboratories in collaboration with MSU Extension’s Well Educated program, in which our office can offer those kits for your use, or other private laboratories https://bit.ly/3rIcAe0. It is recommended to have a basic or full domestic analysis (pH, nitrates, bacteria and a variety of metals) every three to five years for household water. Annually, a smaller test just for bacteria and nitrates should be considered, ideally in the spring.

If you are concerned about your surface water sources provided for your livestock herd or your plant irrigation, the Teton County Extension also offers field equipment for screening pH, total dissolved solids, nitrates and sulfates. Accurate pH testing is best done within 15 minutes of collecting the sample. We are happy to come out to your property for on-site testing. However, if you prefer to bring a sample in for this quick testing, please transport it in a clean glass quart jar with a lid. Please label it with your name, address and contact information. We welcome you to talk to the Extension agents to discuss your water testing needs at 406-466-2491.

Moriah Schutt was Teton County’s MSU Extension summer intern. She is in her junior year as a sustainable foods and bioenergy systems undergraduate student who will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in the spring of 2024. For the last four years, she has been a water treatmentspecialist in the Montana Army National Guard. After graduation, she is interested in pursuing a career with MSU Extension.