The Montana State Board of Health was first established in 1901. In 1967, the Legislative Assembly created the Department of Health. The State Board of Health continued in an advisory capacity, but the day-to-day administration of the state laws regarding public health and related matters were relegated to the new department. The State Board of Health became the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences (DHES) in 1971 with the passage of Governor Anderson’s Executive Reorganization Order 9-71. In 1991, though it remained a part of the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, the role of the Environmental Sciences Division was considerably expanded to include the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, a Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board, a Superfund Section, and an Underground Storage Tanks Section.
As of 2024, the Department of Environmental Quality is made up of four Divisions:
Director’s Office, Air, Energy & Mining Division, Water Quality Division, and
Waste Management and Remediation Division. Each Division oversees several Bureaus,
Programs, and/or Offices. There are also two Boards associated with DEQ, the Board
of Environmental Review and the Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board. For a
full list of Divisions, Bureaus, and staff, please visit the
This collection contains records from various Divisions, Bureaus, and Programs within the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality records were integrated under one collection number to help facilitate access and reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog.
To learn more detail about the records in each subgroup, please click on the links below in the arrangement section to be redirected to those finding aids.
This subgroup (1908-2002) contains records pertaining to the Director's Office. It is
comprised primarily of subject files, but also includes hearing transcripts, and
minimal correspondence. Subject files in this collection cover a vast variety of
topics, including but not limited to: health issues and concerns by county, health
education, air and water quality issues, disease monitoring and control, information
about federal and state designated superfund sites, legislative issues, and notices
of violation to Montana businesses and individuals.
This subgroup also contains one sub-subgroup (2002-2007) for the Information Technology Bureau (formerly named Office of Information Technology), which includes minutes pertaining to the Information Technology Board (ITB), the Information Technology Governance Board, the Information Technology Managers Council (ITMC), among others, as well as subject files on the Information Technology Work Group (ITWG), ITMC biennial report, and an organization chart for the Bureau.
This subgroup (1965-1998) contains records pertaining to the Air, Energy, and Mining Division. It is comprised of two sub-subgroups, the Air Quality Bureau (formerly named Air Resources Management Bureau) and the Mining Bureau (formerly named Environmental Management Bureau and Hard Rock Mining Bureau).
The sub-subgroup, Air Quality Bureau (1965-2001 and 1973-1989), consists of two different collections, as they were previously processed separately and have not yet been integrated. Materials consist of correspondence, case files, hearing transcripts, and subject files. Topics mostly pertain to concerns regarding air quality, air pollution, the EPA’s Clean Air Act of 1990, citations and complaints for emissions violations, and air quality quarterly contract reports by county (not all counties are represented). The sub-subgroup, Mining Bureau (1970-1998), is primarily composed of retired case files, most of which come from the Hard Rock Bureau when it was a part of the Department of State Lands. These case files consist of operating permits for larger mines, denied operating permits for larger mines, and the files of small miners that did not disturb the land, successfully completed reclamation, did not complete reclamation, or whose claim was released due to death.
This subgroup (1989-1994) contains records pertaining to the Water Quality Division (formerly named Water Quality Bureau). It consists of subject files related to water planning projects for various subdivisions in Montana. Most prominently represented are Flathead, Gallatin, and Lewis and Clark Counties.
This subgroup (1983-1997) contains records pertaining to the Waste Management and Remediation Division (formerly named Remediation Division). It consists of records specifically concerned with the cleanup of Silver Bow Creek, near Butte, Montana. It includes correspondence, reports, and subject files.
This subgroup (1995-2005) contains records pertaining to the Board of Environmental Review. It consists of correspondence, minutes, and subject files. The subject files mostly detail contested cases brought before the Board and deal with water or air quality violations.
This subgroup (1989-2012) contains the records of the Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board. It consists of Board meeting minutes (1989-2010, 2013, 2016-2017) and suspended policies of the Board (1991-2008). This subgroup is processed at the collection level and does not have a box-folder listing.
This subgroup (1995-2005) contains records pertaining to the Environmental Sciences Division (defunct). This Division eventually became DEQ in 1995. It consists of correspondence, court papers, financial records, hearings, laboratory records, organizational records, reports, subject files, and miscellany. The collection also contains annual reports of the Montana Community Sanitation Program and files of Tom Ellerhoff including subject files, press clippings, and working files for publications on the Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) and “Lasting Legacy: Montana’s Environmental Health Pioneers.”
This subgroup (1914-1965) contains records pertaining to DEQ's predecessor agency, the State Board of Health, and specifically the Division of Environmental Sanitation (defunct). It consists of general correspondence (1914-1965) concerning the Cut Bank municipal water system, Three Forks wells, water treatment methods, swimming pools and other subjects, water lab reports (1942-1958), and subject files, including records of the American Water Works Association, histories of the Billings and Great Falls waterworks, and other materials.
This collection is organized into eight subgroups, represented by the Divisions within the Department of Environmental Quality. Some of the Divisions contain several sub-subgroups, often Bureaus, Programs, Offices, or Units that operate within a Division.
To learn more detail about the records in each subgroup or sub-subgroup, please click on the links below to be redirected to those finding aids.
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Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 494, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Environmental Quality's various Divisions and
Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into
Each of the links above will redirect the user to a specific subgroup (Division) or
sub-subgroup (Bureaus, Programs, or Offices) of the Montana Department of
Environmental Quality. There may be some overlap or inconsistencies in terms of
which records are in which subgroup or sub-subgroup, as these collections have
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Related Collections:
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.