Bozeman is known for its blue-ribbon trout streams and sparkling mountain lakes. These pristine bodies of water are a playground for locals and tourists from all over the world. Moose wade in the shallows, fish dart beneath the surface, and hungry eagles soar overhead. Everything depends on this water, but perhaps nothing more so than the thirsty residents of Bozeman. The city’s drinking water supply comes from some of the most popular recreational areas just outside of town.

On June 1, 2013, Montana Outdoor Science School is sponsoring the 15th annual Watershed Festival to celebrate the area’s water resources. Last year, over 2,000 people attended the free event, which is made possible through the donations of a number of businesses and organizations within the community. The event will be held at the Bozeman Fish Technology Center on Bridger Canyon Road. Families will get to see different species of fish and help prepare the ponds for the Fishing Derby. Local artists will be displaying their work, and a number of booths will provide educational exhibits and activities that encourage the conservation of our local water resources.

The Watershed Festival helps all age groups understand the importance of the water around us, not just as a recreational resource, but as the source of our drinking water. Bozeman’s drinking water comes from three surface water sources in the mountains, according to John Alston, Superintendent of Bozeman’s water and sewer division. Lyman Creek, in the Bridger Mountains, was the city’s original water source. As the city’s population grew, Sourdough (Bozeman) Creek and Hyalite Reservoir were added as drinking water sources.

Hyalite reservoir is one of the area’s most popular recreation sites, buzzing with boaters, fishermen, hikers, and campers. “There is always the potential for human contamination,” explained Duncan Patten, Director of the Montana Water Center. Fuel leaks, pet waste, and litter are all potential contaminants. Patten points out that, “If we are careful, it is okay, but if we are not careful, contaminants accumulate.”

Human activities, like those described by Patten, have impaired Sourdough Creek once it enters the city, according to Tammy Crone, a water quality specialist with the Gallatin Local Water Quality District. A water body is considered impaired if it does not meet established water quality standards. Sourdough Creek is impaired in three primary ways. Excess nutrients result when grass clippings are dumped into or along the stream and when lawns are improperly or excessively fertilized. The stream contains excess sediment and silt, in part because people have altered the vegetation along the banks. Sourdough Creek also contains excess Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, which results from improperly maintained septic systems and pet waste left near the stream, according to Crone.

These impairments are remedied at the water treatment plant, but there are limits to what the system can handle. A major event such as a wildfire could overwhelm the water treatment system with too much ash and sediment. A $43 million water treatment plant is almost completed, but even this new, state-of-the-art facility could not handle the sediment load caused by a major fire or other environmental event.

The city of Bozeman is making a number of improvements to its public water system, intended to increase and safeguard our water supply. In addition to the water treatment plant, a new sewer plant was recently completed. City officials are now working to improve the existing water distribution infrastructure and to develop additional drinking water sources. Bozeman residents use approximately 2 billion gallons of water every year, according to Brian Heaston, a project engineer with the city of Bozeman. This is enough water to make a mile-deep column of water the size of a football field. This sounds like a lot of water, but the good news is that more efficient water use over the past ten years has caused the city’s per capita water consumption to decrease steadily.
While Bozeman residents typically use less water than the average American, the city is still likely to need an additional water source within 20 years. There are a number of options for expanding the city’s drinking water supply, including tapping into shallow groundwater in the valley or drilling deeper into the Madison Aquifer that lies beneath eight states.

Other options include developing new surface water impoundments and purchasing more water from Hyalite Reservoir. In total, over 30 alternative water sources have been considered during the development of an Integrated Water Resources Plan being designed to ensure the city has an adequate drinking water supply for the next 50 years, according to Heaston.

In an effort to delay the need for a new water source, city employees are trying to be proactive by turning to new water-monitoring technology. Beginning this spring, the city will install gateway receivers that radically simplify the task of reading almost 11,000 water meters within city limits. They will read meters every 24 hours, so leaks can be fixed within hours instead of the month it takes to notice a drastic change on a water bill. The city is also using newer meters that can detect leaks and backflow, which indicates too much pressure or a leak in the water main.

The City Public Works Department is also undertaking a 20-year project to rehabilitate the 253 miles of water distribution pipes that lay beneath the city. A recent report from the American Water Works Association states that most of the country’s water distribution infrastructure was installed during President F.D. Roosevelt’s administration and will soon need to be replaced. The Bozeman pipe replacement project is expected to cost $40 million.

Residents can help conserve water in a number of ways as well. Leaking toilets and lawn irrigation systems are the biggest leak problems, according to Alston. The City Shop Complex, at 814 N. Bozeman, has leak packets available for residents who want to check for leaks, which are not always obvious. Bozeman is also one of the only cities in Montana with a toilet rebate program that provides financial incentives for replacing old toilets. Installing new toilets in place of older models can save as much as one gallon per flush.

Bozeman has high quality drinking water because it is a headwaters community. “Bozeman is extremely lucky to be a headwaters community. That is, we are the first users of water before it moves downstream to other communities,” Crone explained. Events like the Watershed Festival bring the community together to learn more about water issues. Young and old alike will have the chance to learn something new and have some fun. “We all are concerned about our water,” Patten explained. This collective concern has resulted in changes that are improving our public water systems and increasing public awareness about the importance of our water resources.

Sarah Cairoli goes to the watershed festival every year. See her there or email her at scairoli30@hotmail.com.