‘Dead, dry rivers’: Lawsuit says state isn’t managing rivers for the benefit of all

Missoula-based attorney Graham Coppes entered the spring hopeful. Despite a slow start to winter , most western Montana river basins were reporting a near-average snowpack by April. But when warm May temperatures brought an underwhelming runoff, Coppes knew that thirsty soils had soaked up much of the winter’s melting precipitation before it could reach rivers and lakes.

Coppes recognized early on that it would be a long, difficult summer for aquatic ecosystems and the $1.3 billion recreational economy they support. So did Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which held a virtual town hall in June to discuss fishery concerns. Slow-motion alarm set in as Coppes watched one blue-ribbon river after another dip to record lows.

The Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers, both of which have near