Bitter Root Water Forum
Clean, abundant water for a healthy watershed
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Bitterroot Subbasin Plan
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What is a Watershed?
A watershed is the area of land, from ridge to ridge, that ultimately drains to a particular body of water.
 
The Bitterroot Watershed
Our watershed is an area of 2,889 square miles located in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. The area is bordered by the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains to the west, the crest of the Sapphire Mountains to the east, the headwaters of the Bitterroot River to the south at Lost Trail Pass on the Idaho/Montana border, and the confluence of the Bitterroot River with the Clark Fork River to the north in Missoula, MT.  It includes all creeks, forks and tributaries of the Bitterroot River.
  
 
Bitterroot Watershed Characterization
The Bitterroot watershed is characterized by a wide valley and a meandering river channel with riparian forest and floodplain. This watershed includes high, glaciated mountains with alpine ridges and cirques at higher elevations and glacial and lacustrine basins at lower elevations. Elevations range from 10,131 feet atop Trapper Peak in the Bitterroot Mountain Range (in Ravalli County) to 3,120 feet where the 60 mile long free-flowing Bitterroot River defines the watershed's core.
 
The Bitterroot Watershed is complex and diverse for the following three reasons:
1. Tributaries - There are more tributaries entering the mainstem per river mile than any other major river in Montana.
2. Irrigation - Established in the late 1800s, the irrigation system is made up of several irrigation districts and is one of the largest and most complex in Montana.
3. Demographics - High growth rates and corresponding demographic trends are shifting the economics of Ravalli County to include more than the traditional agricultural and timber bases. In addition, a portion of the watershed lies within Missoula County as well as the City of Missoula.