Project Outcomes

Montana’s NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS) built new research capacity and partnerships to address water quality issues in the state. Researchers worked collaboratively across institutions to develop a deeper understanding of natural water systems and water quality related to three important industries in the Montana economy: mining, agriculture, and energy. The five-year project explored how changing compositions and levels of nutrients and contaminants affect water quality – from soils and rivers to the local communities and industries that rely on clean water. Researchers focused on three Montana landscapes where water systems and economic activity are inextricably linked: the Upper Clark Fork River, the Judith River Watershed, and the Powder River Basin. 

Research Highlights – CREWS researchers made substantial scientific discoveries and technology advances related to environmental water quality. These include finding that riparian ecosystems, even when highly altered, attenuate nitrate loading from agriculture into streams. Researchers developed a metabolism model that advances our understanding of changing carbon levels in rivers and streams, and a model for changing biota and metal and nutrient concentrations in streams in response to snowmelt. We found that engaging the public in decisions favorably alters perceptions of efforts to maintain water quality. We conducted novel mesocosm experiments with CREWS-developed biofilms to remove contaminants. CREWS scientists and engineers collaborated to develop drone-based hyperspectral imaging for measurement of river algae and a “smart” in situ sampler for dissolved organic carbon. Researchers developed novel methodology to quickly, accurately, and inexpensively measure sulfate concentrations in environmental waters. And one of our most important and long-lasting research developments was the Continuous Flow Metal Recovery system which removes metal pollutants from contaminated waters. CREWS produced a diverse portfolio of 165 disciplinary and interdisciplinary publications that disseminated discoveries and outcomes. The CREWS project leveraged over $80 million in new funding and produced two provisional patent applications.  

Workforce Development – Over five years, CREWS supported 77 faculty, 192 undergraduate students, 94 graduate students, and 8 postdocs. CREWS supported three new faculty hires. Dr. Brian St. Clair was hired at Montana Technological University, Dr. Andrew Felton was hired into the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University, and Dr. Fernando Sanchez was hired into a tenure-track faculty position at the University of Montana as the Director of the Cobell Land and Culture Institute in the Native American Studies Department.  

Partnerships – A notable success of the CREWS project is the statewide network of researchers and professionals that was established through site-based working groups. The Upper Clark Fork Working Group includes over 170 individuals from academia, government agencies, nonprofit and private business organizations, all committed to fostering collaboration and generating knowledge needed for decision-making as it pertains to the Upper Clark Fork River. This working group is a collaboration with Montana’s Natural Resources Damage Program and Geum Consulting, an ecological consulting firm. The Judith River Watershed Working Group includes individuals from universities, state agencies, and federal agencies, all committed to improving environmental water quality in agricultural regions. In the Powder River Basin, CREWS researchers worked extensively with the Crow Tribe, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee to lay the groundwork for continued water quality research in the region. 

Outreach – CREWS outreach, communication, and dissemination reached over 100,000 individuals, including K-12 teachers, students, and citizens in Montana. Six grant awards were made to Tribal College faculty, and CREWS supported a First Year Research Experience Seminar for minority students. The project supported the Indigenous Research and STEM Education’s American Indians in Math and Science program, a summer STEM camp for over 100 middle school students from Montana’s Tribal communities.