{"id":9602,"date":"2020-01-27T13:16:51","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T20:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grtf.wpengine.com\/?p=9602"},"modified":"2021-12-07T13:06:21","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T20:06:21","slug":"real-world-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gallatinrivertaskforce.org\/2020\/01\/27\/real-world-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Real-World Solutions to Real-World Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

On January 7th, the Resort Tax board approved Big Sky Sewer and Water District\u2019s 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 a lift station and pipeline to convey wastewater from the Canyon Area to the plant in the years to come.<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, the decision was met with a mixed bag of reactions. There has been confusion about the funding mechanism, concerns about the impacts to the Watershed, and questions around the wisdom of enabling even more growth in a town that appears stretched to its limits. Here\u2019s what we know, what we\u2019re in the process of finding out, and where we stand on the overlap between the Watershed\u2019s ecological health and our town\u2019s infrastructure needs.<\/p>\n

First, we know that the proposed wastewater treatment plant is a requirement; the District is legally obligated to serve already planned growth in its District. Already planned development alone will push our current plant past its capacity soon, and doing nothing solves nothing. Like it or not, people want to live here and others want to visit. The upgraded plant will treat wastewater to a much higher level than the current plant, greatly reducing harmful nutrient loads while allowing for new reuse opportunities like groundwater recharge and snowmaking. This ensures more clean water in our creeks and tributaries, a net win for the Watershed, its piscine population, and its human inhabitants.<\/p>\n

While the treatment plant will be expensive, we think our watershed is worth it. A maximum of $27 million for the new plant will come from the 1% tax, about 60% of the plant\u2019s overall cost. We need to invest in Watershed security, and the Watershed deserves the highest standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An upgraded plant is part one of Big Sky\u2019s wastewater treatment projects. The second element of the Water and Sewer District\u2019s application are a lift station and two pipelines running from the proposed new plant down to the Canyon and back. These pipelines will be built if and only if Canyon residents and businesses decide to form a Water and Sewer District of their own.<\/p>\n

Centralized wastewater treatment for the Canyon Area will greatly reduce the nutrient load<\/a> currently entering groundwater likely connected to the river from Canyon residents. Most Canyon residents are on individual septic systems that are antiquated and in desperate need of maintenance or replacement. A centralized system could connect those residents to BSWSD\u2019s new and improved treatment facility, resulting in an estimated 99% less bacteria, 90% less nitrogen, and 90% less phosphorus from entering the Canyon Area\u2019s groundwater.<\/p>\n

While forming a centralized water district is the best option for the ecological health of the Watershed, it\u2019s also the best option for property owners. The longer Canyon residents remain on individual systems, the greater the odds of nutrient loads impairing the Gallatin, an unacceptable outcome for the river, and a major threat to property values. Maintenance costs also go down with a centralized system, another cash-saving benefit to homeowners.<\/p>\n

The moment anyone mentions a pipeline, river enthusiasts\u2019 ears perk up. In the past, pipelines have meant direct discharge, but that is not the plan in this case, and the Gallatin River Task Force does not support such a project. Instead, some of the wastewater treated at the new and improved plant in Big Sky would be piped to the Canyon and reused and recycled in a way that would benefit the Watershed. There, it could be used to recharge the aquifer, irrigate landscaping, and\/or for snowmaking on cross-country ski trails. The ultimate methods of reuse will depend on further analysis.<\/p>\n

Recycling this highly treated wastewater is far better for the ecological health of the Watershed than leaving Canyon residents relying on separate, failing septics. Again, there is no intention for this pipeline to connect to the mainstem of the Gallatin River.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to think of the Gallatin as a wild, pristine river. In fact, it more closely resembles an urban waterway, threatened in many of the same ways. The human impact is a threat from the Canyon all the way to Three Forks, and our primary concern is mitigating that threat<\/a>. Step one is upgrading our current wastewater facility. Step two is forming a Water and Sewer District in the Canyon and centralizing that area\u2019s water and sewer services. By taking these two steps, we can stack the odds of maintaining an unimpaired Gallatin in our favor.<\/p>\n

This article is reprinted from our Water Wisdom column in<\/em> Explore Big Sky.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On January 7th, the Resort Tax board approved Big Sky Sewer and Water District\u2019s 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,<\/p>\n

 » Read more about: Real-World Solutions to Real-World Challenges  »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":9617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111,507,56],"tags":[162,129,211,15],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"yoast_head":"\nReal-World Solutions to Real-World Challenges - Gallatin River Task Force<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gallatinrivertaskforce.org\/2020\/01\/27\/real-world-solutions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Real-World Solutions to Real-World Challenges - Gallatin River Task Force\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On January 7th, the Resort Tax board approved Big Sky Sewer and Water District\u2019s 1% for Infrastructure application. 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