Big Sky is one of the few Montana communities that have never – ever – used a discharge permit to dispose of their treated wastewater into a surface water, and gave up their original discharge permit over 15 years ago.
The Voice of the River
A sustainable watershed relies on community vision, collaboration, and execution
The intent of the plan to expand the district is to put into place nearly five miles of sewer main along Highway 191 and throughout the canyon corridor, effectively retiring old septic systems that present notable human and health risks. A central sewer system introduces several significant benefits, including better treatment and management of community wastewater.
A River in Bloom
If you’ve spent time along the Gallatin in the past few summers, you’ve likely noticed bright-green algae covering rocks from shoreline to shoreline late in the summer as you’re wading to your favorite fishing hole. Like us, you probably have questions. To answer these questions and more, the Task Force has partnered with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality on a multi-year study to determine the primary drivers of the algae blooms and what we must do to stop them.
The Headwaters Hedge
By David Tucker, Communications Manager In the last issue of EBS, this column started with dire numbers concerning our local snowpack and the equivalent amount of water held therein. Since then, it’s been dumping and we’ve moved into an above average winter—thanks,...
Balancing the Books: Using data for better water management
By David Tucker, communications manager So far, the banner snow year promised by a La Niña weather pattern hasn’t quite materialized. While the recent storm cycle has greatly improved conditions, this summer’s water supply has still been on my mind lately. Considering...
Districting Gallatin Canyon: What Does It Mean for the River?
On December 29th, to little fanfare and taking no credit, the Gallatin River scored a major victory when commissioners from Gallatin County voted unanimously to approve a petition for the formation of a new Gallatin Canyon water and sewer district. Now, you might be...
Toward a Nutrient Deficit
“It’s the nutrients, stupid.” That’s a paraphrase of the now-classic campaign line by James Carville, but when it comes to improving water quality in the Big Sky area, the solution is almost that simple. If we want cleaner water, we must reduce the concentration of...
The Bloom is Back
As you’ve likely noticed, a wide-spread, bright green algae bloom yet again took over our backyard waterway. From the upper reaches of the Taylor Fork to downstream of Portal Creek, filamentous vegetation covered the river-bottom rocks. At first glance, the algae is...
Let’s Get Our Poop in a Group
Big Sky has a poop problem. Rapid growth and decentralized infrastructure have led to three streams flowing through our community below state standards for water quality. Higher-than-ideal levels of certain nutrients qualify the streams as impaired, and these...
Real-World Solutions to Real-World Challenges
On January 7th, the Resort Tax board approved Big Sky Sewer and Water District’s 1% for Infrastructure application. Now, residents will vote in May to approve the additional tax, with revenues helping pay for a portion of a new, upgraded wastewater treatment plant and...