Sweeney Creek has a drainage area of 12,160 acres and joins the Bitterroot River near Florence, MT.

Background:

• Sweeney Creek Fisheries: Westslope Cutthroat Trout are numerous in Sweeney Creek, and Bull Trout have also been observed, though they are less common.
• Impacts: The Ninemile watershed has a long history of mining, dating back to the 1800's. Mostly as a result of this early use, the watershed has major issues of high sedimentation, metals, degraded habitat, and flow alteration.
• Status: The lower mile is listed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a chronically dewatered stream.

The Coalition's Water Right on Sweeney Creek

Project Details

(corresponding to the numbered map location)

1 - The Coalition's water right on Sweeney Creek:

Duration: Permanent. This water right was donated to Montana Water Trust (now the Clark Fork Coalition) in 2005.

Flow Rate Protected:  0.91 cubic feet per second of water are protected instream.

Location:  3.2 miles from the confluence with the Bitterroot River

Value: Once finalized for instream use, our water right will flow past a diversion dam that is at times a complete barrier to fish migration. The dam diverts most of the creek's water and with it, a significant number of fish are likely diverted as well.  There is at times no free-flowing water that passes this structure, but our instream water right will protect some streamflows past the dam.