City of Bozeman Long Term Water Supply Planning

The OLLI at MSU May Friday Forum will feature a virtual presentation and analysis of the City of Bozeman's Long Term Water Supply and related planning efforts. A short overview of city's current water supply source and status will be followed by updates on recommendations for future use and sustainability.

In 2013, the Bozeman City Commission adopted an Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP), which identifies recommended water supply and use policies and practices for consideration to ensure Bozeman has adequate supplies available to meet future demands. Since that time, the city has made progress implementing many of the IWRP's recommendations, all while Bozeman has changed since 2013. It is important to continue to have an accurate and clear plan for development of future city water supplies, a clear understanding of progress implementing supply alternatives since 2013, and demand reduction achieved through effective water conservation programming; therefore, the city is initiating an update to the city's IWRP, notes Shawn Kohtz, City of Bozeman Utilities Director.

This Friday Forum will include an overview of the City of Bozeman's water sources, usage breakdown, projected needs, and how existing and proposed management strategies and studies feed into future needs. In 2024, the city used 43% of its current available annual water supply based on a normal water year or 60% of the annual water supply based on a 1 in 50-year drought condition. Additionally, the city continues to pursue further water conservation programming and water supply development to address both demand and supply-side considerations.

This discussion will include a summary of the city’s wastewater treatment processes and considerations for novel treatment technology to continue to improve water quality in the East Gallatin River, where the city’s Water Reclamation Facility releases its treated water.

You can easily register using our registration system if you are a current OLLI member. Participants must register no later than 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 9. If you are not an OLLI member, do not wish to use the OLLI registration system, or wish to register after registrations close, click or tap here to register directly through Zoom. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions to join the program.

Friday Forum offers presentations and lively discussions on local and regional timely topics. Friday Forum is free and open to the public.