Gallatin Water Lab

As the saying goes, “Whiskey’s for drinking and water’s for fighting.” Gallatin County arguably enjoys some of the purest, cleanest water in the country, water worth fighting for. But, it’s also relatively scarce. With minimal annual precipitation, Bozeman’s semi-arid climate relies on snowpack for more than 80% of its water needs. While climate change is predicted to further reduce snowpack, booming growth is only increasing need, creating what may be the direst issue the Valley faces in the next 20 years: water shortage. The City has already identified conservation as the single largest source of water for Bozeman’s future, but what efforts are being made to ensure its inclusion in City and County initiatives and development responsibilities? Conservation — the cheapest and simplest way to avoid disaster — needs to become a priority. Now.

Many agencies and grassroots organizations throughout Gallatin Valley have been fighting the good fight for years, attempting to garner actionable change in water conservation and usage from the community. In concert with those efforts and the development of a comprehensive action plan, professional facilitators Josie Caton & Tate Chamberlin cordially invite you to Gallatin Water Lab.

During this daylong summit, local conservationists, developers, City/County officials and related specialists will gather to discuss and develop actionable, universally amenable interventions to secure the future of water in Gallatin County. By gathering representatives of all impacted and impactful sectors together at one table, the Lab will create a feasible timeline for plan delivery, with intended modifications to current and future usage parameters, including water catchment and conservation efforts, as they apply to City and County landscaping and developmental planning guidelines.

Participants

Facilitated by:

Josie Caton, Kareen Erbe & Tate Chamberlin