Montana DEQ Approves Water Conservation Program; Recycled Snowmaking to Begin at Big Sky Resort

Big Sky, Mont. – The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued final approval of Spanish Peaks application to use highly treated recycled water for base layer snowmaking at Big Sky Resort. This process will improve the quality of snow and the early and late season ski experience, in addition to recharging the aquifer, increasing late season water flow, and improving riparian and river health. The permit application was submitted in March 2023 and DEQ issued a draft permit approval in May 2024. DEQ held two rounds of public comment before issuing the final approval. The ski runs and lifts on the Spanish Peaks Mountain Club property are publicly accessible as part of Big Sky Resort’s ski terrain.

Big Sky Resort joins over a dozen ski areas in eight states that use recycled water for snowmaking, as well as operations in Canada, Switzerland, and Australia. Images of snowmaking at Big Sky Resort can be found here.

Lone Mountain Land Company, owner of Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, has stewarded this project through a multi-million-dollar investment that reflects its dedication to the community and environmental conservation.

The project will be built out in two phases and supply base layer snow to Spirit Mountain, Andesite Mountain, and the Spanish Peaks base area. During phase one, Big Sky Resort will use up to 23 million gallons of recycled water per year from Big Sky’s new state-of-the-art water treatment facility, which produces the highest reclaimed water classification recognized by the State of Montana. During phase two, up to 44 million gallons of water would be used annually. This water comes from the broader community of Big Sky and is reused.

“For more than 25 years, Big Sky Resort has supported water reuse and zero direct discharge into the Gallatin River,” said Troy Nedved, Big Sky Resort's Chief Operating Officer. “Bringing this best-in-class water stewardship measure to snowmaking operations sets the standard for sustainable mountain operations. Recycled snowmaking is a science-backed solution that protects the Gallatin River and every community downstream.”

“The community of Big Sky’s commitment to being a leader in water conservation has led to this incredible partnership,” said Rich Chandler, Vice President of Environmental Operations for Lone Mountain Land Company, which owns Spanish Peaks Mountain Club. “We are seeing less snowpack each year, and I have heard from several ski areas across Montana that are also interested in this technology. I am hopeful recycled snowmaking will become the standard practice someday in our headwater state.”

Numerous environmental and community groups wrote letters of support for the permit to DEQ, including Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Gallatin River Task Force (GRTF), the Association of Gallatin Agricultural Irrigators, and the Big Sky County Water and Sewer Department. Public ski areas also offered their support including Bridger Bowl and Big Sky Resort.

“TU was an active participant of the Big Sky Sustainable Water Solutions Forum and its efforts to creatively protect water and natural resources as Big Sky grows. Our concerns were three-fold: 1. protect high water quality in the Gallatin headwaters; 2. slow down and store snowmelt to recharge groundwater for late season flows; and, 3. protect the fish, wildlife, agriculture, and recreation that depend on a healthy Gallatin River. Spanish Peak’s approach meets all three criteria,” said Pat Byorth, Trout Unlimited, Montana Water Director.

The permit approval comes after almost a decade of community support for studying water reuse potential in the broader Big Sky community. Big Sky voluntarily chose to forgo an existing discharge permit to release treated water directly into the nearby rivers, as most Montana municipalities do currently, and instead has invested significant resources into pursuing reuse programs. The Big Sky Resort Area Tax District funded a community group led by GRTF and consisting of 35 stakeholders to study reuse opportunities. In 2018, the group released a Water Stewardship Plan, which endorsed the use of recycled snowmaking to save water.

“Reusing water as snow conserves the fresh water that our rivers and community depend on. Instead of taking clean water from the river or our drinking water aquifers, water is recycled back as snow to the mountains - a win-win for the health of our rivers, and the resort economy,” stated Kristin Gardner, Chief Executive and Science Officer with Gallatin River Taskforce.

“For well over a decade, we’ve worked with local partners to protect and improve water quality in the Gallatin River in the face of rapid development in Big Sky,” said Scott Bosse, Northern Rockies Regional Director at American Rivers. “Throughout that time, we’ve challenged the Big Sky community to do one thing – raise the bar on water use and reuse and become a model for other headwaters communities across the West. This project meets that standard and helps ensure that Big Sky will remain a zero-discharge community.”

The same conservation groups supporting the Spanish Peaks’ reuse effort also submitted letters of support to the DEQ for the Yellowstone Club recycled snowmaking effort, which was subsequently approved and began operations in the 2023/2024 ski season.

The Yellowstone Club’s recycled snowmaking program was named the winner of the 2024 Montana Water Environment Association Beneficial Reuse Award, which was formally presented in Missoula on April 24, 2024.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added snowmaking as a viable reclaimed water reuse option in its 2012 Guidelines for Water Reuse. Recycled water is already re-used to irrigate golf courses in Montana and the mountain west. Land application of recycled water provides nutrients for vegetative and microbe uptake. The snowmaking program further expands Big Sky’s commitment toward water re-use by being the largest zero direct discharge community in Montana.

DEQ is the regulatory agency that has oversight of all reclaimed water use in Montana, and its regulations require snowmaking with reclaimed water to utilize the highest standards recognized for public and environmental health. The process of snowmaking with recycled water as a state regulated process carries much higher standards compared to traditional snowmaking practices utilized by most ski areas.

Timeline of Big Sky Recycled Snowmaking:

• 1997: The Big Sky Water Sewer District conducts initial study on recycled snowmaking.
• 2011: GRTF conducts a pilot study to test the concept of using highly treated recycled water for snowmaking to sustain late season water flow, and subsequently proposes the concept as a community water conservation tool.
• 2012: DEQ adopts additional reuse standards for reclaimed water disposal within their Circular 2 design standards, including snowmaking as one option.
• 2017: GRTF forms the Big Sky Sustainable Water Solutions Forum, which includes 35 community and agency stakeholders, to become a water conservation model for other western mountain communities. The Forum determines that snowmaking with reclaimed water is a reuse priority for the Big Sky community to extend seasonable snowpack and slow water movement through the watershed to enhance aquifer storage for downstream users.
• 2020: In March, the Yellowstone Club applies for the permit to start a recycled snowmaking program.
• 2021: One year later, following a robust public comment period, DEQ issues an initial draft permit notice.
• 2021: After receiving an “outpouring of support letters for this initiative from environmental groups, individuals and businesses,” DEQ issues a final permit to the Yellowstone Club to make base layer snow on Eglise Mountain using reclaimed water from the Town of Big Sky.
• 2023: The Yellowstone Club begins the first year of the recycled snowmaking program for the 2023/2024 ski season.
• 2023: In March, Spanish Peaks applies for a recycled snowmaking permit at Big Sky Resort.
• 2024: In May, DEQ issues an initial draft permit notice.
• 2025: In October, DEQ approves the permit, making it the second-ever program in the state.