EPA Approves Gallatin River Impairment Designation

State of Montana Can Officially Begin the TMDL Clean-Up Process  Recent reporting by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle covered the EPA’s approval of an “impairment” determination for the Middle Segment Gallatin River. This segment stretches from Yellowstone National Park downstream to…

Waterkeeper Challenges Rubber Stamp of New Water Pollution from Big Sky

Agency Violates Law and Ignores Gallatin River Algal Blooms Upper Missouri Waterkeeper filed a complaint against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for authorizing new wastewater discharges from the Quarry Project, a new major subdivision in Big Sky, without…

Dirty Water Bills Progress Through the Legislature

Bills Create More Problems Than Solutions; Ignore Water Quantity and Quality Issues Plaguing State’s Water Resources Recent reporting by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle highlights several concerning water bills that have made it through 2023 Montana Legislative Session transmittal, yet fail…

Unscientific, Politicized Repeal Efforts Put Montana’s Water at Risk

EPA’s New WOTUS Rule Faces Congressional Challenges  Recent reporting by the Public News Service calls attention to Republicans’ efforts to challenge the Biden Administration’s new “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule that clarifies protections for Montana’s waterways under the…

The Inadequacies of DEQ’s Quarry Project EA

Montana DEQ’s Draft Environmental Assessment on the Quarry Planned Unit Development contains a multitude of issues: Project Segmentation into Phases Avoids Traditional Regulatory Scrutiny: Using Dozens of Septic Systems to Avoid Pollution Control Permitting:  Ignores Cumulative Impacts in Violation of…

Fact Sheet: Draft Environmental Assessment for the Quarry Project

Fact Sheet: Draft Environmental Assessment for the Quarry Project Residential Subdivision #1 EQ# 22-22120 & 22-2092 Big Sky, MT What is the Quarry Project? A “Planned Unit Development” of new phased residential and commercial construction Sited on 175 acres, reclaiming…

What’s the Deal with the Horse Creek Hills Mini-Mansion Subdivision?

The Project Horse Creek Hills (HCH) subdivision is a proposed 4-phase, 435 acre development sited in Broadwater County on the eastern shore and directly upstream from Canyon Ferry Lake and nearby Confederate Creek. The proposed site is a rural, predominantly…

Support Stronger Pollution Control Exemptions

Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing a new suite of rules concerning how sectors that discharge wastewater (municipalities, industry, and construction/commercial) may seek a water quality standards variance. The public comment period is open until August 22, 2022…