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.
Based on a review of best available science from the past 10 years, and data collected by the Gallatin River Task Force, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued a preliminary determination that the middle segment Gallatin River is impaired.
Task Force volunteers spend hours with us on the Gallatin collecting water samples and restoring habitat. They not only inspire us in our work but enable us to carry out our conservation mission. At the end of the year, we host a stewardship celebration to thank our...
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.
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...
And what does it mean for the Gallatin River? At the Jan. 19 Big Sky County Water and Sewer District board meeting, when the topic turned to water-supply exploration on Lone Mountain, Mark Cunnane of Western Groundwater Services uttered a sentence that caught my...
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...
A Letter from the Executive Director. Twenty years ago, a small group of concerned citizens formed the Blue Water Task Force. They were worried about water quality in the Upper Gallatin River Watershed, and they wanted to learn more about the challenges before them....
The eagle is exactly where an eagle ought to be, perched high in a dying streamside pine along the Gallatin River. It’s likely perusing the breakfast menu—brown trout, whitefish, rainbow. The scene is simultaneously iconic and common place, inspiring enough for me to...
“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...