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The Madison River near West Yellowstone, Montana. NPS.
The Madison River has high-quality water, shaped by local geology. Many of Yellowstone National Park's geyser basins drain into the Firehole River, which joins the Gibbon River to form the Madison. That geothermal water can push temperature, pH and arsenic above state water-quality criteria.
Sampling
In 2021 the river was sampled for water chemistry and core parameters — temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity — eight times from April to November (the tables below also include a December visit).
Nutrients and sediment
- Ammonia (as nitrogen): below detection on every date (reporting limit 0.05 mg/L).
- Nitrate + nitrite (as nitrogen): 0.02–0.05 mg/L when detected, otherwise below detection (limit 0.01 mg/L).
- Total suspended solids: 2–23 mg/L, peaking at 23 on 2 May, near the year's peak runoff.
Arsenic
Total arsenic exceeded Montana's chronic aquatic life criterion (0.15 mg/L) at every sampling. Surface and ground water feeding the river inside the park are influenced by geothermal features, so the arsenic is likely natural.
Daily discharge at USGS gage 06037500 in 2021, with total arsenic in monthly samples (yellow) against Montana's chronic aquatic life standard of 0.15 mg/L (black line). NPS.
Temperature
The USGS monitors water temperature continuously at the Madison River near West Yellowstone gage (06037500).
- Warmer and earlier: 2021's average daily temperatures ran higher, and warmed earlier, than the 2016–2020 average.
- Hotter peaks: 2021's daily maximums topped those of 2016–2020, peaking at 26.4°C, against an average daily maximum of 24.3°C in 2016–2020.
- Fishing limits: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks can close cold-water fishing when water tops 73.0°F (22.8°C) at any time of day for three consecutive days, or when flows drop below minimums (Montana Rule 12.5.507). In 2021 the river first passed 22.8°C on 2 June, and stayed above it at least three days running from 13 July through mid-August. (The source labels 13 July "day 164" of the year, which is the day number of 13 June.)
- Why: geothermal water from the park's geyser basins warms the headwaters.
Average daily water temperature, 2021 versus 2016–2020. NPS.
Daily maximum water temperature in 2021 (red) and 2016–2020 (gray), with the 73°F (22.8°C) angling-closure threshold (dashed). NPS.
Lab results, 2021 (mg/L)
Samples analyzed by Energy Laboratories, Billings, Montana. ND = not detected; "blank" = certified deionized water; "rep." = replicate.
| Parameter | Reporting limit | 13 Apr | 2 May | 26 Jul | 26 Jul blank | 31 Aug | 21 Sep | 21 Sep rep. | 20 Oct | 10 Nov | 12 Dec | 12 Dec blank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alkalinity (as CaCO₃) | 1 | 21 | 17 | 21 | ND | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 21 | ND |
| Ammonia (NH₃ as N) | 0.05 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Chloride | 1 | 57 | 42 | 54 | ND | 57 | 67 | 64 | 59 | 63 | 63 | ND |
| Nitrate + nitrite (as N) | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.14 | ND | ND | ND | ND | 0.01 | 0.05 | ND |
| Orthophosphate | 0.005–0.02 | 0.028 | 0.019 | 0.020 | <0.010 | 0.020 | 0.110 | 0.100 | <0.020 | 0.010 | 0.012 | <0.001 |
| Total phosphorus | 0.005–0.02 | 0.026 | 0.048 | 0.020 | <0.010 | <0.010 | <0.010 | <0.010 | <0.010 | 0.010 | 0.011 | 0.002 |
| Sulfate | 1 | 16 | 12 | 12 | ND | 13 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 15 | ND |
| Total suspended solids | 1 | 7 | 23 | 2 | ND | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ND |
| Dissolved arsenic | 0.001 | 0.263 | 0.190 | 0.261 | ND | 0.270 | 0.258 | 0.278 | 0.263 | 0.280 | 0.266 | ND |
| Total arsenic | 0.001 | 0.262 | 0.209 | 0.267 | ND | 0.259 | 0.265 | 0.295 | 0.270 | 0.286 | 0.275 | ND |
| Dissolved calcium | 1 | 7 | 6 | 7 | ND | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | ND |
| Total calcium | 1 | 7 | 6 | 7 | ND | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | ND |
| Magnesium (dissolved and total) | 1 | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| Dissolved potassium | 1 | 9 | 7 | 8 | ND | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | ND |
| Total potassium | 1 | 9 | 7 | 8 | ND | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | ND |
| Dissolved sodium | 1 | 92 | 66 | 88 | ND | 86 | 97 | 97 | 85 | 91 | 91 | ND |
| Total sodium | 1 | 87 | 62 | 89 | ND | 92 | 92 | 93 | 99 | 91 | 93 | ND |
Field results, 2021
| Parameter | 13 Apr | 2 May | 26 Jul | 31 Aug | 21 Sep | 20 Oct | 10 Nov | 12 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water temperature (°C) | 8.18 | 13.11 | 18.15 | 14.85 | 11.77 | 11.27 | 7.08 | 2.22 |
| Specific conductance (µS/m, as published) | 472.9 | 350.0 | 459.8 | 466.5 | 496.7 | 475.5 | 579.0 | 481.3 |
| Conductivity (µS/m, as published) | 320.9 | 270.6 | 399.7 | 376.2 | 371.2 | 350.9 | 381.0 | 271.8 |
| pH | 7.91 | 7.74 | 8.21 | 8.18 | 8.29 | 8.39 | 8.28 | 8.02 |
| Dissolved oxygen (mg/L) | 9.99 | 8.33 | 8.23 | 9.17 | 10.14 | 9.82 | 10.86 | 10.57 |
| Dissolved oxygen (% saturation) | 84.80 | 79.33 | 87.33 | 90.80 | 93.78 | 89.75 | 89.88 | 76.98 |
| Turbidity (FNU) | 2.40 | 7.18 | 0.61 | 0.48 | 0.86 | 0.71 | 0.86 | 0.85 |
| Total dissolved solids (mg/L) | 307.5 | 227.5 | 299.3 | 303.3 | 322.8 | 309.3 | 376.0 | 313.3 |
| Barometric pressure (mm Hg) | 600.7 | 595.5 | 603.3 | 597.0 | 609.2 | 602.1 | 601.2 | 593.1 |
The tabular data can be downloaded from the NPS DataStore. Earlier data are on the Water Quality Portal (project YELLWQ01, site WQX-YELL_MDR).
Sources
Based on "Water Quality in the Madison River Near West Yellowstone, Montana," part of the series Water Resources Monitoring in the Madison River near West Yellowstone, Montana, 2021, National Park Service, citing Thompson (1979) and NPS (1994); a work of the United States government in the public domain. The three data tables, which the page loads separately, are restored from the NPS's own data files. Related: water flow and monitoring methods in the same series.
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