Dear Editor,
The Gallatin River shapes our sense of place, our recreation and our economy. As leadership of the Gallatin River Task Force, we believe protecting it is the most important investment our community can make.
The state of Montana has designated the Gallatin River and its main tributary that runs through the Big Sky community as “impaired”. The Gallatin River is impaired for algae blooms and the West Fork of the Gallatin River for nitrogen and sediment. Our 26 years of data suggest that septic systems are a major contributor: their drain fields remove little nitrogen before effluent reaches our drinking water and our rivers.
Connecting homes on septic systems to our central sewer system changes that. Big Sky’s state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system removes far more nitrogen and phosphorus under state permits and regular oversight. Septic systems depend on individual owners for upkeep, and failures often go unnoticed until damage is done.
Two areas are urgent: Firelight Meadows and the Gallatin Canyon. Connecting Firelight Meadows to a central sewer would protect the West Fork and the groundwater that supplies our drinking water. Extending service along the Canyon would reduce nutrients entering the Gallatin and help curb algae blooms. Both are overdue, and together they would do more for water quality than almost any other step we could take.
Big Sky depends on a healthy Gallatin River. We are encouraged by the TEDD/TIF effort to fund centralized sewer with appropriate guardrails, to keep the river healthy for generations to come.
Leslie Nogaret and Kristin Gardner
Big Sky, Montana
