Our positions on critical issues.
As a watershed group, our approach is fundamentally collaborative. We seek consensus through partnerships, and our positions on key issues reflect that. Here’s where we stand.
Montana Headwaters Legacy Act
As a member of the Montanans for Healthy Rivers steering committee, we support this legislation that would designate 39 miles of the Gallatin Wild and Scenic.
Introduced by Senator Jon Tester in the fall of 2020, the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act would protect 336 total river miles throughout the state, including sections of other iconic waterways like the Madison, Smith, and Yellowstone.
1% for Infrastructure Tax
Big Sky is growing rapidly, and as such we must respond by rapidly expanding our infrastructure. Water and sewer services have long been inadequate, and an upgrade is needed now.
In light of this fact, we support using the 1% for Infrastructure Tax to partially fund the Big Sky Water and Sewer District’s treatment plant upgrade. The new plant will treat waste to a much higher level, allowing for cleaner reuse options such as irrigation, snowmaking, and where appropriate, groundwater recharge.
ORW Designation
An Outstanding Resource Water designation for the Gallatin River would not address already-existing water quality and quantity issues. Therefore, we do not support an ORW designation.
About 15 years ago, a group of local stakeholders decided a collaborative approach to wastewater management / water-quality issues was a better long-term solution.
Since the Big Sky Wastewater Solutions Forum in 2007, the Task Force and our partners have taken several steps to address water quality issues, while ORW legislation remains tied up in the courts.
