The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About11-18-25 Public Comment - Gallatin Watershed Collaborative - Gallatin Watershed Collaborative IWRP DiscussionFrom:Jessica Ahlstrom To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:Gallatin Watershed Collaborative IWRP Discussion Date:Monday, November 17, 2025 5:25:36 PM Attachments:image001.png 25.10.28 - Notes - Monthly Update Meeting.pdf Hello, I am submitting notes from a Gallatin Water Collaborative meeting held on October 28, 2025 as public comment to be shared with the Integrated Water Resources Advisory Committee to ensure the discussion is made part of the public record for this project. The meeting notes are attached. Thank you. Jessica Ahlstrom, CLIA, QWEL | Water Conservation Program Manager City of Bozeman | 7 E Beall St. Suite 100 | PO Box 1230 | Bozeman, MT 59771 P: 406.582.2265 | Visit our website Water Conservation Office Hours: Tuesday-Thursday from 10am-2pm Monthly Collaborative Update Meeting October 28, 2025 1:00 - 2:30pm Youtube Recording (Panelists only) Drive Recording (Full recording) Attendees: A total of 39 people attended this meeting: Holly Hill (GWC), Lilly McLane (GWC), Jared Trilling (GWC), Ben Buescher (GWC), Karen Filipovich (Collaborative Facilitator), Shawn Kohtz (Bozeman Utilities), John Edwards (Gallatin County Board of Health), Sierra Harris (GYC), Torie Haraldson (DEQ), Danika Holmes (DNRC), David Saba (DNRC Water Sciences Bureau), Elizabeth D’Imperio (County Extension), Elizabeth Emeline (GCD), Evan Bilbrey (DNRC), Jess Olson (GRTF), Harley Harris (Gallatin Water Trust), Heath Gerber (DNRC), Meghan Hazer Alvarez (Gallatin County Planning), Jennifer Boyer (Gallatin County Commission), Jeff Dunn (WGM Group), Kim Bolhuis (DNRC), Kristal Kiel (DNRC), Jack Landers (DNRC Water Services Bureau), Matt Johnson (RESPEC), Melissa Brickl (DNRC), Rebecca Kurnick (AGAI), Rob Pertzborn (Intrinsik Architecture), Sale Rhodes (DNRC), Sandra Kohl (RESPEC), Sue Duncan (AGAI), Kerri Strasheim (DNRC), Todd Blythe (DNRC), Valerie Kurth (DNRC), Will Shepard (GAR), Xiang Fan (GLWQD), Zane Ashford (GVLT), Sarah Church (MSU Earth Sciences), Madison Boone (MSU Earth Sciences), Bea McNamara (GCD) Facilitator: Karen Filipovich Notes: Ben Buescher Events and Announcements: ● Additional events are on the Watershed Events Calendar ● Share events/announcements to the listserv: gallatin-water-collaborative@gaggle.email ○ Email holly@gallatinwatershedcouncil.org to be added ○ Job openings can also be shared with the Montana AWRA listserv and the Montana Water Center. For AWRA, email either Nancy.hystad@montana.edu or dholmes@mt.gov. For the Water Center, email whitneylonsdale@gmail.com On Our Radar: ● GWC’s Policy Page: Includes comments, policy memos, and other resources ○ GWC Policy Memo: Agricultural Water User Facilities in the UDC ○ GWC Policy Memo: Streams and Wetlands in the UDC ● Unified Development Code Update ○ Updated Draft Text (as of September 19) ○ Updated Draft Zoning Map ○ November 3: Public hearing @ Community Development Board Meeting ○ December 2: Anticipated adoption ● Wetlands and Watercourse Setbacks Code Update ○ Final Wetlands Ordinance ○ Effective as of October 25, 2025 ● Gallatin County Zoning Reform ○ Moving forward with Growth Area Zoning Reform: Option 4 from the Zoning Reform Spectrum ○ Continuing engagement to determine perspectives on zoning reform in areas outside the Growth Area ○ Next step: defining the extents of the Growth Area boundary ● Water Adequacy for Residential Development Ballot Initiative ○ WARD Panel Collaborative Monthly Update Meeting Resources ○ Ballots due November 4, 2025 ● Clearly Belgrade Master Plan Topic Session - Water Availability Project Panel The meeting focused on water availability in the Gallatin Watershed, with updates from the City of Bozeman, Montana DNRC, and RESPEC/WGM Group on the Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP), the Gallatin River Basin Study, and the Gallatin Drought & Deluge Adaptive Management Plan (DDAMP) respectively. Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP) Update: Shawn Kohtz (Bozeman Utilities Director) IWRP Background ● 50-Year Water Supply Plan, initiated in 2013, guiding water supply development and conservation ● Established the Water Conservation Program ○ Per capita 25-gallon/day reduction in water usage since 2013 ○ 1,596 acre-feet (AF) saved since 2013; 1,000 AF of savings projected over the next five years ○ Two municipal non-potable irrigation systems (Sports Park and Cemetery) ○ $2 million/year invested in pipe replacements ● Increased supply since 2013 ○ Hyalite Reservoir share acquisition ○ 1,334 AF added to Bozeman’s water supply portfolio since 2013; 1,575 AF in increased supply from planned projects projected over the next five years ● Conducting a groundwater supply feasibility analysis Update Scope ● Technical and Public Advisory Committees ○ Evaluating and ranking water supply alternatives and conservation strategies ○ Will recommend priorities to the City Commission ● Public Engagement ○ Engage Bozeman: IWRP ○ Hosting open houses ○ Participation in community events ○ Technical and Public Advisory Committee outreach Discussion ● Criteria/priorities to consider as Bozeman considers water supply alternatives ○ Impacts to surface water from water conservation measures ○ Resiliency to climate change and snowpack changes ○ Storage options to maintain surface water flows ■ Aquifer storage and recovery ■ Additional Hyalite Reservoir shares, reservoir optimization ■ Natural storage, Sourdough drainage, beaver dam analogs, wetland and riparian restoration projects, slowing down water ■ HB 932 - pilot storage project funding ○ Locality and costs of supply alternatives ■ Theoretical pipeline project from Canyon Ferry ● Would need to be built in a way that benefits everyone along the pipeline and would require federal funding and long-term coordination ● Possible 300,000 acre-feet of water available ● Bozeman used 7,100 AF in 2024. ○ Gallatin County Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Layers ■ Groundwater nitrate, groundwater recharge and infiltration potential ○ Groundwater availability/predictability ■ Drilling efforts near the sports park have revealed lower-than-expected groundwater volumes and have drawn down other municipal well systems when pumped. ■ Four Corners Water and Sewer Utility has also been facing challenges with shallow groundwater sources and pollution risks. ■ Changes in land use, particularly the conversion of agricultural land, can have a significant impact on the recharge of groundwater sources. ■ There is a need to identify better potential well locations and consider the broader impacts on groundwater and surface water systems. ○ Water Rights Allocation ■ The west Gallatin is fully appropriated, but the east, where a lot of the City’s water comes from, has less contention and could be a focus for new development. ■ Gallatin is a closed basin, so any new groundwater development must mitigate any impact to surface water. ● Collaborative Opportunities ○ Potential Funding Sources ■ DEQ 319 and other programs - protection or restoration of wetland/riparian function ■ HB 932 - $100 million is being allocated for pilot storage projects ■ $4 million annually from marijuana taxes Gallatin River Basin Study: David Saba (DNRC Water Sciences Bureau) Gallatin River Basin Study Goals ● Create a high-resolution, daily time-step, and reach-scale water budget model for the Gallatin River Basin ● Link multiple physical models together ● Track all water inputs and outputs (precipitation, streamflow, irrigation, groundwater) ● Have the ability to run scenarios and simulate various water management situations ● Maintain continuous updates from new data sources ● Support water rights permitting/protection, drought planning, flood warnings, irrigation practices, TMDLs and water quality, recharge projects, development and supply planning, fisheries, recreation, and more ● Online and publicly accessible Why the Gallatin? ● Changing water uses with increased development ● Water quality and availability concerns ● What we do here will inform best management practices statewide ● Build on Montana DNRC’s first basin-scale project in the Upper Yellowstone Timeline (~5 years) ● Phase I (first year) ○ Data acquisition in partnership with USGS ○ Stakeholder engagement and planning for additional data collection, with an emphasis on collaboration to address water availability concerns ● Phase II (3-4 years) ○ Continued data acquisition ○ Building and calibrating models ○ Model integration ○ Publishing Discussion ● What are some of the biggest water availability concerns in the Gallatin Basin? ○ Potential impacts of exempt wells on water availability and accountability ○ Limited data on groundwater and surface water usage for irrigation ○ Risk of identifying ground or surface water sources that aren’t accurate if the model doesn’t have a robust enough data set ○ Prior appropriation doctrine underpins water distribution and flows in the East Gallatin ● Model utility ○ Ability to run scenarios and toggle inputs/outputs to understand how the watershed would respond Collaborative Opportunities ● Seeking input, data, and participation from stakeholders to help fill monitoring gaps and improve model accuracy and utility ○ Gallatin River Basin Study Information Gathering Survey ○ Help pick a project name! ● Irrigation ditch headgates already have partial flumes to measure flow, which water commissioners use to determine cuts ● Opportunity for translating existing ag records into usable data for the model while also increasing our understanding and the accuracy of that data going forward ● Reach out to Alan English as a resource (existing rudimentary water budget) Gallatin Drought & Deluge Adaptive Management Plan (DDAMP): Matt Johnson & Sandra Kohl (RESPEC), Jeff Dunn (WGM Group) DDAMP Background ● Scope of Work ● Focus: Gallatin Watershed and Three Forks ● Contracted by the Gallatin Watershed Council and Gallatin Water Collaborative ● Funded by DNRC RDG Planning Grant administered by Gallatin County ● Plan Contents ○ Drought Monitoring Framework ○ Mitigation and Adaptation actions ○ Vulnerability Assessment ○ Response Actions ○ Operational and Administrative Framework ○ Community Outreach ○ Plan Update and Implementation Process Purpose ● Proactively mitigate drought and flood impacts ○ Coordinate water-event response strategies and communications ○ Establish a strategic approach to long-term water conservation and watershed resiliency projects ○ Coordinate best management practices w/ stakeholder collaboration ● Identify drought indicators and better understanding deluge events ● Adapt to climate impacts, land use change, and increasing demands on water resources ● Bridge jurisdictional boundaries ● Work with community on communications and public outreach ● Create a plan that qualifies for additional funding/grants Drought in the Gallatin Watershed ● Key Indicators ○ precipitation, temperature, stream flow, snowpack, soil moisture, groundwater levels, and reservoir levels. ● 5 Category Severity Scale ● Recent Drought Years ○ 2007, 2013, 2023, 2025 Deluge in the Gallatin Watershed ● 2022 Flooding Event ○ Late season snowfall coupled with heavy rain ○ Occurred during a severe drought year ○ Gallatin Gateway stream gauge crest: 6.70 ft. ● Other Deluge Events ○ 1974: Historic crest at Gallatin Gateway stream gauge: 7.38 ft. ○ Additional years: 1996, 1997, 2011, and 2018 Discussion ● How best can resiliency be incorporated into DDAMP? / Best mitigation strategies for drought and deluge/flooding? ○ Restoring riparian corridors is a win-win strategy for both drought and flood resilience. ○ Important to maintain the existing ditch system for flood mitigation and aquifer recharge Collaborative Opportunities ● AGAI could survey/check in with various irrigators across the valley with different needs on a monthly basis ● DDAMP Meeting Schedule ○ November 13: 2-4:00 p.m. @ Conservation District Meeting Room, Manhattan ○ January 29: 1:30-4:30 p.m., Location TBD ○ February 26, 2026: 1:30-4:30 p.m., Location TBD ○ April 2, 2026: 1:30-4:30 p.m., Location TBD Next Steps / Continued Engagement: IWRP ● Engage Bozeman: IWRP ● Reach out to Technical Advisory Committee members Gallatin River Basin Study ● Gallatin River Basin Study Information Gathering Survey ● Gallatin River Basin Study One-Pager ● Contact david.saba@mt.gov DDAMP ● Scope of Work ● Contact karen.filipovich@gmail.com for meeting invite information Collaborative Annual Meeting ● December 11, 2025, 1-4:00 p.m. Collaborative Resources: ● Gallatin Water Collaborative Website ● Event Calendar ● 2025 Monthly Update notes, recordings, and files ● Collaborative Google Drive Next Collaborative Monthly Update Meeting: October 28, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. (Virtual), Water Supply and Conservation Planning