The Voice of the River
Building more resilient landscapes in Big Sky
It is important to understand that how we use community water for our landscaping affects not only our groundwater but also our natural resources and eventually our river and tributaries; learning and understanding this requires a shift in behavior and putting appropriate practices in place.
Restoration for the health of the Gallatin
How we (literally) get to the Gallatin impacts the health and sustainability of riparian areas, streamside habitat, vegetation, and the river in general. Well-worn, and sometimes rogue, access points are prevalent within publicly accessible forest lands along the Gallatin, creating the need for a host of restoration options.
Point Source v. Nonpoint Source Pollution – What’s the Difference?
When we talk about sources of pollution to rivers and streams, and more specifically about how different sources of pollution find their way into the Gallatin, we are talking about two distinct and different sources: point source, and nonpoint source (NPS) pollution
A look at community groundwater; what does the recent study tell us?
An insight into the Big Sky community groundwater study by the MT Bureau of Mines and Geology.
A look at the Upper Gallatin: a healthy fishery reflects a healthy river
An insight into the relationship between the health of the fishery and the promising health of a river.
How Big Sky pushed the envelope on community wastewater reuse
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.
Snowpack & the Importance of Water Conservation
Precipitation is beneficial to our groundwater in any form, and while we are grateful for any and all snowpack that we can accumulate over the winter months, we cannot assume that it will stay long enough to be reliable as a source for our community water year round. That’s where water conservation comes into play.
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.