HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983-09-MUNICIPAL WATER INVENTORY September 1983
CITY OF BOZEMAN
MUNICIPAL WATER INVENTORY
INTRODUCTION
This report describes the current status of the City of Bozeman's
municipal water supply. It was prepared by the staff of the Bozeman Public
Works Department at the request of the City Commission. The report describes
the City's sources of water, the existing water delivery system, historical
water demands and the on-going water system improvement program. The
report explains why the City needs more water than it has the rights to
and discusses several potential sources of additional water.
SUMMARY
The City of Bozeman obtains its municipal water supply as surface
water from three local watersheds. If the City were able to effectively cap-
ture all of the water it has a right to use, City water users could consume
13,368 acre-feet (ac ft) of water per year. Because of limitations in exist-
ing storage and delivery facilities, however, the City can only reliably de-
pend on supplying 6,607 ac ft per year to its customers. This is less than
one-half of its water the City has a right to use.
In the West, a water right can be lost if it is not put to beneficial
use. Other water users have already filed water right claims on water that
the City diverts into its system that overflows to local streams due to water
delivery system limitations. Should such claimants be successful, City water
rights could be lost.
At the present time, City of Bozeman municipal water demands exceed
by over 20 percent the amount of water it can reliably expect to be able to
divert from its water supply sources.
This deficit occurs during dry years and is reduced during wet years.
Because the City must be able to supply its customers even during dry years,
action is needed to eliminate this deficit.
Because an in-depth study is needed, we recommend that the City
retain an engineering consultant to evaluate solutions to these problems.
The consultant's initial efforts should focus on determining how the City
can better utilize its existing water rights. Because of the inter-
relationshsips between the City's water distribution network and its water
delivery system, the total system should be studied so as not to prematurely
foreclose cost-effective solutions.
Solutions to the City's water supply problems will be expensive. Care-
ful consideration of available financing options should therefore be an inte-
gral part of the study, as should careful consideration of environmental
effects.
The problems that the City faces are serious. We are confident,
though, that with careful planning and the commitment of a dedicated City
Commission, the City will once again be able to reliably supply the water
demands of its residents.
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CITY OF BOZEPAAN
MUNICIPAL WATER INVENTORY
EXISTING SUPPLY
The City acquires its municipal water supply from three separate drain-
ages. The drainages are Lyman Creek, Bozeman Creek and Middle Creek.
Surface water rights are the source of supply from Bozeman and Lyman Creek.
The City acquires stored water from Mystic Lake and Middle Creek Reservoir.
A complete listing of the water rights claimed by the City and shares
of stock and water purchase contracts for stored water owned by the City
is included in Tables 1 -4 of this report.
Lyman Creek
Surface water diversion from Lyman Creek was developed as the first
water supply for the City of Bozeman. The basis of use is decreed water
rights amounting to the first 238 3/20 miner inches of water in the creek.
The period of appropriation of this right is the entire year and is based on
historical use.
Water is diverted from the creek and conveyed in an 18" cast iron
intake installed in 1941 to the 5.3 million gallon reservoir site. Water is
conveyed to town in an 18" cast iron main installed in 1925 to the booster
station site. The booster station was installed with the 1957-58 water im-
provement projects. The booster station was necessary since Sourdough
Reservoir was built 80 feet higher in elevation than the Lyman Creek Reser-
voir. The reservoir was built higher to provide adequate water pressure to
the expanding southside portion of town. In essence, this has created a
separate pressure district and service area north of the Interstate.
The total ideal yield of the Lyman Creek decreed water right is 4309
acre feet annually, or 3.9 million gallons per day (MGD) . However, the
reliable yield of the drainage is considerably less. Seasonal stream flow
characteristics limit the amount of water available for diversion during most
of the year. In fact, the period of the year before and after high run-off,
stream flow has been less than that needed to operate one of the two large
capacity booster station pumps. Therefore, for most of the year, the Lyman
Creek drainage supplies only minimal demand north of the Interstate in its
gravity flow service area. Water is not pumped from the reservoir in order
to provide an emergency water supply and fire protection to the City. The
reservoir could be pumped empty in two days at the maximum pumping rate
while the rate of inflow during low stream flow would take 41 days to refill.
The reliable yield of the drainage is estimated to be 1453 acre feet of
water. The reliable yield has been estimated from discussion with Water
Division employees. There is no stream flow data which would allow a statis-
tical hydrologic analysis of the watershed. However, taking into account
the operation constraint predicated by the booster station pump capacities,
the reliable yield available for municipal consumption is reduced to 393 acre
feet. Approximately 1060 acre feet of water reliably available for diversion
from the drainage is lost to the water distribution system. Also, the maxi-
mum pumping capacity of the booster station is to 170 miner inches of water.
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The entire value of the Lyman Creek water right cannot currently be accessed
through the booster station.
Bozeman Creek (I nstream Rights)
Once the Lyman Creek water supply became inadequate for the City
of Bozeman, Bozeman Creek was developed as an additional municipal source
(1917) . The instream water rights claimed by the City total 313 miner inches
with varying priority dates. The period of appropriation for this water
source has also been historically used as continuous.
Water is diverted from the creek and conveyed in an 18" clay tile
line installed in 1917 to the presedimentation basin at the mouth of Bozeman
Creek canyon. The clay line is being replaced periodically by a 30" concrete
lined pipe. Middle Creek Reservoir water is also conveyed to the presedimen-
tation basin. Together, these waters are transmitted to the 4.0 million
gallon capacity Sourdough Reservoir in a 1917 clay the 18" pipe and a 1957
reinforced concrete 18" pipe. Water is delivered to the City distribution
system from the southside reservoir by a 1917 steel 18" pipe and a 1957
steel-cement coated 24" pipe. Improvements to the supply system and pre-
sedimentation basin are discussed later in this report.
The total ideal yield of the instream Bozeman Creek water rights is
5664 acre feet annually or 5.1 MGD. However, similar to the case of the
Lyman Creek supply, seasonal stream flow characteristics limit the amount
of water reliably available for diversion. The reliable yield of the water
rights from Bozeman Creek is estimated to be 4009 acre feet. This estimate
is based on a review of limited existing stream gaging records and dis-
cussions with Bozeman Water Division employees. Insufficient information
exists to perform a statistical hydrologic analysis of both Lyman Creek and
Bozeman Creek drainages.
Adequate stream flow records exist for the Middle Creek drainage in
order to perform a statistical hydrologic analysis of instream flows. The
idea of transferring this information to the Bozeman Creek drainage has been
discounted because they are not considered similar drainages. The soil and
permeability characteristics of the drainages are dissimilar. Also, the
stream flow records for Middle Creek are influenced by the operation of
Middle Creek Reservoir.
Mystic Lake
In 1922 , the City acquired 4 of the 20 total shares of original stock
for stored water within Mystic Lake. Mystic Lake is located within the upper
reach of the Bozeman Creek drainage. Since that time, the City has acquired
additional shares to increase the current total to 10. The water rights uti-
lized to fill the reservoir are claimed by the Bozeman Creek Reservoir Company.
Upon demand, water is released from the dam and conveyed downstream
in Bozeman Creek to the City operated point of diversion. This diversion
facility is the same one used to appropriate instream Bozeman Creek water
rights. Delay time from release of water at the reservoir to delivery at the
intake is about six hours.
f
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The total ideal yield of the stored water is 690 acre feet, or 2.1
NIGD for the period of June 15 to September 30. This figure is reduced by
actual storage capacity of the dam and a shrinkage factor applied to released
water. The reliable yield of water available for diversion downstream is 540
acre feet.
The amount of water able to be stored and delivered from Mystic Lake
Dam has also been limited by structural and operational deficiencies. A sink
hole which developed on the face of the right abutment in 1976 reduced the
amount of water stored by the dam. Also, separation of the outlet piping
caused serious operational and subsequent structural constraints to the dam
which led to partial breaching of the structure in October 1982.
Currently, an engineering and geological study is being conducted to
determine the feasibility of rehabilitating the structure. This study is be-
ing funded by grants awarded to the Water Users Association by the Depart-
ment of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) .
Middle Creek (Hyalite) Reservoir
Middle Creek Reservoir was constructed by the State Water Conservation
Board (now DNRC) and completed in 1951 . The water rights utilized to fill
the reservoir are claimed by the State of Montana. The City has entered
into water purchase contracts with the Middle Creek Water Users Association
to acquire stored water.
Upon demand, water is released from the dam and conveyed downstream
in Middle Creek to the City operated point of diversion. The water is then
conveyed in a 21" reinforced concrete pipe and necked down to an 18" rein-
forced concrete pipe, installed in 1957 to the presedimentation basin at the
mouth of Bozeman Creek Canyon.
Currently, the City has contracts to 2705 acre feet of stored water
with an option to an additional 50 acre feet. Water released from the reser-
voir is reduced by a shrinkage factor. The amount of water reliably avail-
able at the point of diversion is 2205 acre feet of water. Under the current
water marketing contract between DNRC and the Water Users Association,
this water is available to the City only during the irrigation season. The
irrigation season is defined as May 1 to September 30. Water which is not
used by September 30 is not available to the contractor for delivery during
the remainder of the year.
In summary, the ideal yield of water claimed by the City for municipal
consumption is 13,368 acre feet of water. This equates to 4.36 billion gal-
lons of water annually. However, for the reasons previously cited, the City
can reliably depend on only 6607 acre feet, or 2.15 billion gallons of water
annually. The reliable figure excludes contribution from Mystic Lake. The
status of Mystic Lake as a water source is discussed later in this report.
'
Table 1
BOZEMAN CREEK STREAM RIGHTS
|
Date Acquired Priority Period of
Purchased From � City Amount [)eta Use
Effie Whitney May 25 192O 6 miner inches 1866 Continuous <
' )
Elmer and Gertrude Williams ]an. 16, 1929 50 miner inches 1866 Continuous
John and Etta Co|den5tein July 1 , 1930 50 miner inches 1866 Continuous
John and Etta Cn(denstain July 25, 1931 50 miner inches 1866 Continuous
Elmer and Gertrude Williams Feb. 11 , 1937 25 miner inches 1878 Continuous
George Huff Apr. ], 1839 50 miner inches 1866 Continuous
George Huff Apr. 3, 1938 25 miner inches 1878 Continuous
Paul and Nora Smith Apr. 28, 1948 7 miner inches 1 866 Continuous
Harry and Virginia Corning Oct. 21 , 1970 50 miner inches 1883 Continuous
\ /
TOTAL !DEAL YIELD OF THESE RIGHTS IS 5664 ACRE FEET
Table 2
LYMAN CREEK WATER RIGHTS
Priority Date Amount Period of Use
September 1 , 1864 150 3/20 miner inches Continuous
May 1 , 1881 88 miner inches Continuous
TOTAL IDEAL YIELD OF THESE RIGHTS IS 4309 ACRE FEET
'
Table 3
BOZEK4AN CREEK RESERVOIR COMPANY
MYSTIC LAKE
Shares Purchased From Date Acquired Amount and Period of Time
(
4 Original Stock 06-27-22 400 miner inches for 14 days or
200 miner inches for 28 days
Y� Elmer and Gertrude Williams 02-11-37 150 miner inches for 14 days or
75 miner inches for 28 days
� George Huff 04-03-39 50 miner inches for 14 days or
25 miner inches for 28 days
] Harry and Virginia Corning 10-21 -70 200 miner inches for 14 days or
100 miner inches for 28 days
1 Harry and Virginia Corning 09-15-71 100 miner inches for 14 days or
50 miner inches for 28 days
1 (J-B Properties 06-27-73 100 miner inches for 14 days or
50 miner inches fnr 28 days \ �
TOTAL IDEAL YIELD |S69O ACRE FEET
The total ideal yield is computed from the total volume of miner inches described above; the actual filling of the
reservoir yields 1190 acre feet of water which the City claims half, or 590 acre feet ideally.
Table 4
MIDDLE CREEK WATER USERS ASSOCIATION
HYALITE LAKE
Contract No. Purchased From Date Acquired Amount - Acre Fee
3 Montana DNRC 02-08-51 500
4 Montana DNRC 02-08-51 550
88 Montana DNRC 03-21-56 1 ,450
74-A Paul B. Smith 08-04-66 10
6-13 Lucien Benepe 08-11-76 20
15-A-2 Fred Pack 10-03-80 75
70-A-1-B Virgil and Phyllis Jahnke 10-03-80 50
89-A-1-13 Virgil and Phyllis Jahnke 10-03-80 50
TOTAL IDEAL YIELD IS 2705 ACRE FEET
WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM
The access methods and water system delivery constraints have a direct affect
on how the municipal water supply is utilized. The two components of the
system, which are the northside supply (Lyman Creek) and the southside
supply (Bozeman-Middle Creek) are analyzed in the following paragraphs.
Northside Supply
The Lyman Creek Supply provides continual water service to all custo-
mers north of Interstate 90. When inflows are sufficient (only during high
run-off periods) water from this supply is pumped through the booster
station to extend water service south of Interstate 90. Water is pumped
from this relatively clean supply to offset the reliance on instream Bozeman
Creek water which is normally turbid during high run-off periods. The
turbidity levels and peak demand use decrease the effectiveness of the pre-
sedimentation basins for the southside supply during high run-off.
High stream run-off reliably occurs only a short period of the year.
It is conservatively estimated to occur during a period of 45 days. Stream
flows available during the remainder of the year have been estimated to be
less than the capacity of the two large pumps in the booster station. During
the normal flow period, which is the remainder of the year, the stream flow
is estimated to be 70 miner inches (1 .13 MGD) . The current customer demand
north of the Interstate is determined to be 23,000 gallons per day. The
difference of 1 .11 MGD is overflowed either the diversion facility or the
reservoir and is lost to the City. This amount on an annual basis is 1060
acre feet (or 346 million gallons) .
The Lyman Creek supply is treated with chlorine and fluoride at the
reservoir site. This system will not benefit from the installation of a water
treatment facility on the south side of town. It is economically unfeasible
to attempt to pipe this water to the treatment plant site due to geographical
distance and elevation difference. Additional treatment has not been pre-
viously considered for this water source as turbidity has not been a problem
even during high run-off. However, additional measures may need to be
taken to protect this source from water-borne parasites, such as giardia
cysts which may be introduced into the watershed by external factors.
Currently, the City is reviewing alternatives and preparing cost estimates
to provide adequate protection of this water source if the need arises.
Continual testing is being accomplished to determine the existence of poten-
tial stream contamination by parasites.
Southside Supply
The majority of water service to the City residents emanates from
this supply. Treatment currently consists of the application of fluoride and
chlorine at the reservoir site. Turbidity has been settled at presedimenta-
tion basins located at the mouth of Bozeman Creek Canyon. During period
of high run-off, the detention time provided by the size of the basins has
not been adequate to produce acceptable drinking water.
6 _
The southside supply has been adequate during summer months.
However, after the September 30 shut-off date for delivery of water from
Hyalite Reservoir, this supply becomes inadequate to meet demand. The
water deficit continues to occur until early spring stream flows increase.
During the months of low Bozeman Creek flow, Lyman Creek is also not availa-
ble in quantity for pumping to the south side. Remedies are being reviewed
by the City to overcome this water deficit. These measures are discussed
later in this paper.
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MUNICIPAL WATER USE
Water use records have been tabulated in the previous years by the
Water Superintendent. Two categories of water use records are kept. They
are water metered within the supply system and water diverted into the supply
system. Water diversion totals are higher than water metered into the distri-
bution system.
Both sets of records are inadequate to reliably predict actual water
usage within the City. Water metered into the distribution system does not
accurately represent usage since it includes overflow water from Sourdough
Reservoir. Diversion records for Bozeman Creek are based on headgate set-
tings since there is no instream flow meter for the supply line. The differ-
ence between the diversion record and metered record is not the Sourdough
Reservoir overflow since water is also overflowed at the reservoir inlet box.
The difference also includes supply and transmission main leakage. Lyman
Creek usage figures are accurately measured at the booster pump station.
A review of the annual water use records of the past eight years is
listed below.
Year Metered Water Diverted Water
1975 1 ,182.70 MG Not Available
1976 1 ,967.00 MG Not Available
1977 1 ,955.50 MG Not Available
1978 1 ,996.30 MG Not Available
1979 2,271 .38 MG Not Available
1980 2,302.82 MG 2,507.50 MG
1981 2,124.62 MG 2 ,648,65 MG
1982 2,125.34 MG 2,651 .75 MG
The reason the diverted amount of water is higher than usage is to
ensure that peak daily demands are met and that the Sourdough Reservoir
water level is always providing adequate operating pressure for the distri-
bution system. The reason for this is that water use fluctuates greatly
during the day, while the City can only provide a constant inflow. Also,
in the late fall, the diversion gates on Bozeman and Middle Creeks are set
to ensure adequate inflow the entire winter season. Cold weather has frozen
one creek or the other and not allowed manipulation of the inlet facility.
This safety factor provides an overflow during the winter period. As men-
tioned previously, a portion of the diverted amount is also lost as leakage
in supply and reservoir transmission lines.
The leakage amount is not current definable for the various supplies
as well as precise overflow amounts. For these reasons, the analysis of
water use is difficult. In the future, the metering devices being installed
with the current Water Improvement Projects will provide a satisfactory base
for a detailed water use analysis.
Based on the information available for the City of Bozeman water use,
the following analysis is provided. Water diversion figures are used to
represent the amount of water required to meet City demand. This is
necessary to ensure the ability to meet peak daily use periods without jeop-
ardizing operating pressures and supply. It is found that the rate of di-
version is around 310 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) for an annual average.
The estimated consumption rate based on the figures supplied from the Water
Superintendent is 236 gpcd.
The 1982 water diversion requirement and the estimated consumptive
requirement is listed below along with a comparison to the reliable yield of
the City of Bozeman water use rights and water purchase contracts to depict
the status of the adequacy of supply. For now, the value of Mystic Lake
water is not included in the reliable yield pending outcome of preliminary
engineering for dam reconstruction.
Estimated
Month-1982 Diversion Rqmnt Consump Rqmnt Reliable Yield
January 176.08 MG 136.04 MG 99 MG
February 159.49 MG 122.76 MG 99 MG
March 175.97 MG 137.54 MG 99 MG
April 179.65 MG 141 .12 MG 138 MG
May 200.66 MG 188.19 MG 284 MG
June 205.98 MG 189.05 MG 206 MG
July 345.41 MG 243.58 MG 345 MG
August 364.62 MG 277.31 MG 365 MG
September 250.11 MG 182.97 MG 209 MG
October 226.77 MG 146.58 MG 99 MG
November 190.31 MG 134.03 MG 99 MG
December 176.70 MG 126.16 MG 99 MG
TOTAL 2,651 .75 MG 2,025.33 MG 2,141 MG
The figures in the table help to document the water deficit experi-
enced by the City of Bozeman. In diverting the amount of water necessary
to the system, the reliable supply is less than the required amount by 595
million gallons (MG) of water. In the month of May a yield surplus exists
which cannot be captured as it is instream water flows. Therefore, an actual
system surplus of water cannot be realized. Some type of additional in-line
storage could be used to capture the surplus flow as well as a majority of
the difference between diverted and consumed water. This option is dis-
cussed later in the report.
The supply deficits occur from September to April. During this pe-
riod the City has relied strictly on instream diversion for municipal supply
in accordance with established use rights. Stream flows in Bozeman and
Lyman Creeks at the City points of diversions are not reliably adequate to
meet diversion requirements. The deficit is currently being met by pur-
chasing water remaining in Hyalite Reservoir after the September 30 cut-off
date for water user delivery. The City must acquire a permanent use right
to an additional reliable water source to overcome the existing winter defi-
cit. Also, as water delivery demand increases, the deficit will begin to
appear earlier in the fall and late summer. The acquisition of a qualified
right to additional water will be needed in the near future to avoid a summer
deficit.
WATER SYSTEM AND SUPPLY IMPROVEMENTS
The City is in the process of improving the water delivery system to
provide for more efficient use of supply. The major improvement is the re-
placement of an old (1917) clay supply line running from the treatment plant
site to the Sourdough Reservoir. Also, the City is progressively replacing
a similar clay line from the Bozeman Creek diversion facility to the treat-
ment plant site. Both lines have been highly suspect of leakage. Repairs
have been periodically performed when leakage became apparent.
Also, the City is installing metering instrumentation at critical loca-
tions within the supply system to better provide an adequate indication of
actual water diversion and distribution delivery. These improvements, along
with others designed to improve internal distribution, are being financed by
a revenue bond issue. Since water rates have increased to provide the nec-
essary revenue, water demand has reduced this summer. This is in accordance
to operators of the water system. Increased water rates and the installa-
tion of additional service line meters may have helped to conserve water
this year. This apparent conservation may also be due to the wet spring
and summer experienced in the area. Additional years of base data compila-
tion will help to indicate the source of conservation currently being re-
alized.
Additional sources of firm or reliable water supply have been inves-
tigated and initiated by the City. Two water use permits were submitted to
the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) in
1978. One request was for the sever and sell of an agricultural water right
on Middle Creek. The second request was for a new appropriation of winter
water from Middle Creek.
The basis for the sever and sell of the agricultural right was the
purchase of the use of 300 miner inches of water from Mr. Del Lichtenberg.
City records indicate Mr. Lichtenberg received $26,000.00 in 1978 and
$35,000.00 in 1980 from the City for the instream right and 50 acre feet
from Hyalite Reservoir. The Hyalite Reservoir stored water has not been
transferred within the water users association to City ownership pending
the outcome of the sever and sell proceedings.
Upon advertisement of the water use requests submitted by the City,
numerous objections to the proposals were received by the DNRC. Under
Montana water law, DNRC was then required to conduct public hearings to
gather testimony before providing a decision in each matter. The City ap-
plications were also put on hold pending a Hyalite Creek watershed analysis
and review of Hyalite Reservoir operating procedures by DNRC to determine
water availability. Upon completion of the analysis, the hearings were
scheduled by DNRC for January of 1982.
The transfer (or sever and sell) of a water use right cannot be ap-
proved if it will adversely affect the rights of other persons. In this case,
the City presented information relative to the transfer of only that water
which would have been consumed by the crop being irrigated on the total
parcel. By taking into account type of crop, seasonal total effective pre-
cipitation, field irrigation efficiency and total irrigable acres, it was de-
termined that 450 acre feet have been historically consumed on the property
which was irrigated.
Many of the objections raised were in regard to the change in place
of the diversion of this water and also the transfer to another drainage.
The farmers who objected also requested the City to divert this water in
the non-irrigation season if the transfer was approved.
The City Attorney had deed transfers investigated regarding the sale
of parcels of the original farm to individuals by Del Lichtenberg. It was
reported that language was not included in the deeds to reserve the transfer
of water rights even though the property ownership was transferred. The
opinion expressed by DNRC in this regard is that a pro-rata share of the
original water rights would transfer ownership with the land unless it was
explicitly excluded in words on the deed transfer. This poses a question
as to who was the legal owner of the water rights at the time of purchase
from Mr. Lichtenberg by the City.
The application for a new appropriation of water from Middle Creek
from October 15 to April 15 also met with strong opposition. In particular,
the Montana Power Company presented testimony in essence stating there is
no unappropriated water in the Upper Missouri Basin for the period of request.
Their contention, along with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is that grant-
ing of any new appropriations of water will adversely affect their prior es-
tablished water rights for power generation downstream to Great Falls. Other
objections were presented regarding depletion of flows in the stream causing
a detriment to aquatic life and loss of stock water.
The original application was for 600 miner inches of Middle Creek
water during the requested period of appropriation. The analysis of the
watershed by DNRC suggested this amount of water is not reliably available
in the stream at the intended diversion point during the period of appro-
priation. Therefore, the request was altered at the hearing for only that
water which is felt by the City available for appropriation. Also, a base
flow amount of 200 miner inches was conceded by the City to remain in the
creek at the point of diversion to appease the Fish and Game and local
stock water users.
In response to the Montana Power Company and the Bureau of Recla-
mation, the City presented information that indicated 85-90 percent of water
diverted has been returned as direct run-off back to the basin as water
system overflow or waste water treatment plant effluent. In this regard,
the City requested the consideration of a non-consumptive user of water.
A decision is pending from DNRC on this matter also. Should the City be
successful in acquiring both water use rights, this will add 490 acre feet of
summer water to the system (including the Lichtenberg Hyalite Reservoir
water) from the sever and sell and 2898 acre feet of winter water. These
amounts will also be considered reliably available for diversion by the City.
Decisions on both requests from DNRC are pending .
below. The impact of the additional water is included in the tables listed
1982
Month Diversion Rqmnt Current Rel Yield Revised Rel Yield
January 176.08 MG 99 MG 201 MG
February 159.49 MG 99 MG 193 MG
March 175.97 MG 99 MG 233 MG
April 179.65 MG 138 MG 223 MG
May 200.66 MG 284 MG 284 MG
June 205.98 MG 206 MG 206 MG
July 345.41 MG 345 MG 345 MG
August 364.62 MG 365 MG 365 MG
September 250.11 MG 209 MG 368 MG
October 226.77 MG 99 MG 249 MG
November 190.31 MG 99 MG 334 MG
December 176.70 MG 99 MG 240 MG
TOTAL 2,651 .75 MG 2,141 MG 3,241 MG
The table helps to indicate that the City will be able to meet short
term future water needs with the realization of the water use permits being
considered by DNRC. A tabulation of revised winter/summer usage versus
yield is listed below.
Winter (Oct-Apr) Summer (May-Sept)
1982 Diversion Requirement 1285 MG 1367 MG
Current Reliable Yield 732 MG 1409 MG
Deficit 553 MG 41 MG
1982 Diversion Requirement 1285 MG 1367 MG
Revised Reliable Yield 1673 MG 1568 MG
Surplus 388 MG 117 MG
As mentioned previously, a late summer deficit occurs because the
early summer surplus is realized from insteam flow which cannot be captured
and held within the water system. The early summer surplus is neglected
in the comparison for the revised reliable yield for the same reason.
The figures above help to point out the need for additional pretreat-
ment or in-line storage for a buffer between the appropriation of insteam
water and actual usage. Additional storage would help stretch the current
water rights by capturing overflow water from the system during low usage
periods of the day. As mentioned previously, it is not feasible to daily
manipulate the diversion facilities and reservoir outlets to provide usage
water only. However, capturing overflow water will allow the base diver-
sion rate to be reduced and still meet peak usage. This will help to extend
the application of existing water rights.
Increased in-line storage will also be beneficial if the City acquires
the additional water rights sought. As of now, the surplus of winter and
summer water would not be diverted. However, as usage increases, water
could be diverted in excess of usage in October through December and supple-
ment low stream flows of January and February. This storage could also be
used to capture system overflow water and reduce the monthly diversion
requirements. This would also apply to summer usage. Spring run-off water,
within water use rights granted by DNRC, could be used for early summer
usage to delay the need for stored water supplementation. Also with popu-
lation growth, the peak water usage periods which dictate diversion require-
ments will grow. This will produce additional amounts of overflow water
under existing system constraints. Appropriately sized storage could cap-
ture these water sources which currently lead to deficits and will extend
the application of existing water rights. Conservation techniques aimed at
peak usage periods could also reduce the base diversion amount which re-
duces system overflow.
Another type of buffer than additional storage may be instituted to
extend the application of water for the City. This would be the use of
ground water with pumping facilities. The base rate of instream diversion
flow could be reduced to possibly eliminate system overflow with the reli-
ance of an instantaneous water source such as ground water to meet peak
usage periods of the day. The feasibility of this alternative needs indepth
study for determination of potential yields of wells and development costs.
Also, the issue of water rights enters into this potential municipal water
source.
Leakage within the distribution system may be in excess of anticipat-
ed amounts due to relatively high water pressures. Potential leakage can
be detected by significant pressure drops measured within the system. The
City has not undertaken this type of water system analysis in the past.
The City may find it beneficial to consider the possibility of installing pres-
sure reducing valves in appropriate areas to divide the City into separate
pressure districts and reduce overall pressure and the potential for leakage.
Another benefit of reducing pressure in town may be the extension
of gravity flow service area of Lyman Creek. By reducing the south side
supply pressure to the gravity flow pressure head of the Lyman Creek supply
in the vicinity of the booster station, north side gravity flow service area
could be extended south of the Interstate. Water flowing in Lyman Creek
could be put to its full potential within the previously cited decreed water
rights without the reliance on perpetual energy costs.
POTENTIAL SOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL WATER
The City has attempted to acquire additional water for municipal con-
sumption in the recent past. The decisions awaited from DNRC are
expected within the next few months. However, in each case the City can
expect to be taken to district court by parties appealing the decision of
DNRC if favorable to the City. Also, the City should be prepared to tap
other sources if the DNRC decisions are unfavorable. The potential sources
which could be investigated by the City are listed below. The order of
listing is not intended to suggest priorities.
Instream Diversion
Decrees from the DNRC hearings officer may indicate a period of water
appropriation which may not be in conflict with senior priorities. If this is
the case, a determination of how much water may be available and the size
and cost of needed storage will have to be examined to determine the feasi-
bility of this option. Bozeman Creek and Middle Creek should be looked at
first as they have the greatest potential for stream flow amounts and the
City has diversion and gravity delivery systems previously installed.
Other local streams may have flood flows in excess of existing use
rights but depending on the quantity may be cost prohibitive to the City
for installation of diversion, treatment and delivery facilities.
Acquisition of flood flow rights would only benefit water supply
strictly during its time of occurrence without additional storage. For this
option, the cost of installing additional storage will have to be included in
determining its benefit. The quality of water during flood flows will also
require treatment including settling and filtration.
Acquire Storage Water
Two sources of stored water are used by the City. Acquisition of
additional shares of water within each project is a potential viable source.
Currently, the City is not considering the acquisition of additional shares
of Mystic Lake pending the outcome of the engineering feasibility study for
rehabilitation. Also, depending on the cost per share for potential rehabi-
litation, the City may acquire all shares within the Association and increase
the reliable supply. For the same matter, the City may not participate in
rehabilitating the structure depending on the cost per share and/or financ-
ing options available.
Recently, 50 acre feet of water from Hyalite Reservoir sold for
$18,500.00. Annual operation and maintenance charges of about $0.90 per
acre foot per year are assessed above the purchase price. Also, the DNRC
is now investigating the options and costs for rehabilitating and repair of
this structure. The consulting engineering firm of HKM Associates from
Billings is preparing the analysis. The firm has contacted the City in
search of potential users (and purchasers) of additional useful storage
which may be a part of the rehabilitation. New storage water was made
available to users from the rehabilitation of Cooney Reservoir at about $2.50
an acre foot per year. This rate relies heavily on construction price and
grants/low interest loans which may be available to the State at the time of
construction. It should be kept in mind that realization of actual completion
of construction may be years if feasible.
Groundwater Development
Groundwater can provide a potential instantaneous source of water
the City does not currently enjoy. Depending on the yield of wells devel-
oped will determine the potential benefits of this source. Geologic and
hydrologic field investigations are necessary to make a reliable prediction of
this source. Depending on the yields expected from wells and their location,
a water use permit for groundwater could be contested by the same parties
as the surface water diversion applications submitted by the City in 1978.
Flood flows may also be stored as groundwater recharge and recalled
by a well field. This could save a significant cost for pretreatment storage
if flood flow rights were achieved by the City.
Construct Storage Facility ( Instream)
The Soil Conservation Service conducted a study in the late 1970's to
investigate the feasibility of siting a storage facility. Early in the study,
preliminary costs were made available which indicated a project as being too
expensive for agricultural use. Therefore, municipal water and flood storage
project sites were further investigated. In the 1980 final report, the SCS
identified potential sites in Bozeman Creek and Limestone Creek for a stor-
age project. With all considerations taken into account, the cost to the
City were identified to fall in the range of $100 to $150 an acre foot per
year for the life of the project. At the time of the study, this range of
figures was determined by the City to be cost prohibitive. Further analysis
by the SCS was terminated. As is the case with dam rehabilitation, realiza-
tion of a finished project will take years. Filling of each potential dam site
would have to rely on capturing flood flows occurring at a time not to ad-
versely affect downstream senior priorities.
Contract Water from Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation has been recently contacted regarding the
contracting or "renting" of their purported water right in the Upper Missouri
Basin. The decision of DNRC regarding the application of the City for a
new appropriation of winter water from Hyalite Creek will either uphold or
deny the claim of the Bureau of Reclamation or MPC. If their purported
right is upheld, the City may have to consider this option.
Preliminary discussions indicate the allowance of the City to rent
water from the Bureau at the rate of $20-$30 an acre foot per year. The
basis for the charge between diverted and consumed water will need to be
resolved during negotiations. Diverted water to overcome current winter
deficits would cost the City about $60,000.00 per year. Consumed water
during the deficit period would cost the City about $9,000.00 per year.
The process involved would be to submit a request to DNRC to alter
the point of diversion of a portion of the Bureau's water right. Diversion
of this water would not affect senior priorities in the winter other than
stock water. Diversion of summer water upstream from Canyon Ferry would
definitely affect senior priorities and would not be approved by DNRC.
15 -
One benefit of this arrangement, if approved by DNRC is the term
of agreement with the Bureau would be 40 years. The "rental" rate would
be able to be renegotiated every five years.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The City should investigate alternatives and methods to better utilize
the existing water rights claimed. The diversion rate and assumed consump-
tion rate per capita suggest the water can be stretched to further use.
Capturing system overflow with pretreatment storage will provide an addi-
tional 30 percent of diverted water for municipal consumption. Also, con-
servation efforts, transmission leakage repair and reduced operating pres-
sure could reduce the consumptive rate about 25 percent of the current es-
timation. Current water rates may be the impetus for conservation.
The alternatives which have been previously discussed are pretreat-
ment or in-line storage, groundwater to meet peak usage and reduced opera-
ting pressure to increase the Lyman Creek service area.
Depending on the outcome of the water use requests, the City may
acquire more water from the Bozeman Creek and Hyalite Creek watersheds.
This is the first priority as facilities are in place to bring water to the
City. Other drainages can be investigated but will probably need to be fed
to the water treatment plant site.
All the options discussed in this paper should be further investigated
and assigned a production or construction cost per acre foot or million gal-
lons of water provided. This will help to focus on the involvement of the
City with rehabilitation of Mystic Lake and Hyalite Reservoir, groundwater
development, new storage construction, purchasing rights or "renting" water.
The basis for the identification and development of costs should be indepth,
qualified analysis. This has not been provided in the past.
As a last resort, the City can consider condemnation of water for
public domain or re-use of waste water treatment plant effluent.