The City of Bozeman has identified water conservation as the single largest source of water for our future. Water Smart Bozeman. Doing one thing makes a difference.

About Us

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Our Mission

Protect and enhance water resources through conservation in order to meet the Integrated Water Resources Plan’s 50-year demand reduction target by:

Establishing & strengthening the community’s water conservation ethic

raise awareness as to the value of our water supply
educate the community on conservation efforts and encourage participation through incentives
provide equitable distribution of resources and incentives for all customer classes

Ensuring adequate water supplies are available; to meet current & future demands, in times of drought, & for long term drought mitigation

implementing data driven decision making
developing and implementing methods to track current demand patterns, forecast future demands, and evaluate and modify program elements as needed.

City Water Planning

The 2013 Integrated Water Resources Plan

The 2013 Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP) (PDF) is meant to guide the City's water supply and use policies and practices through 2062. It outlines anticipated future water demand, examines different ways to meet future demand - through new supply or conservation practices - and recommends the most promising measures for further study and possible use.

Through the IWRP planning and adoption processes, the City recognized that water conservation should be the bedrock of the City's water-resource management practices. Water conservation is the most expedient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly way to ensure a reliable water supply for Bozeman's future.

The 2022 Drought Management Plan

The Drought Management Plan (PDF) was first adopted in 2017 and updated in 2022 to maximize water availability and provide guidance for reducing and managing water use when the City of Bozeman is in a drought. The plan outlines the criteria for monitoring drought and declaring various stages of drought. Drought stage guidelines within the drought management plan are intended to provide a framework for a timely drought response while maintaining flexibility in the drought variation that could occur. See our Drought Management page for more information!

The Water Conservation and Efficiency Plan

The Water Conservation and Efficiency Plan (PDF), adopted in 2023, helps pave the way for Bozeman's sustainable future. The Plan will guide Water Conservation Division efforts through 2040, and serves as a roadmap for carrying out new initiatives and tracking projected water savings across the City. Program measures include educational initiatives, incentive programs, code revisions, utility infrastructure management, and policies related to water efficient growth – all aimed at reducing water demand within the City to inform future water supply and demand management.

City Projects

Not only does the City promote water conservation, we're doing our part to work towards a water smart future!

Here are some examples of how the City is working to save water:

Senior Center Bulk Plumbing Retrofit

In 2016 the City completed a retrofit of the Senior Center’s toilets, urinals and faucets. The bulk of this project involved retrofitting 18 toilets and 2 urinals to high efficiency models. The Senior Center achieved a 40% reduction in water consumption following the first year of the retrofit.

City Hall

High efficiency aerators were installed in all City Hall bathrooms to reduce water use at faucets. You can pick up free aerators for your home faucets too!

Irrigation Audits

In 2021, the City began performing irrigation audits on City facility systems to help identify system efficiency upgrades and repairs. City facility irrigation audits will continue throughout the 2022 summer season.

You Can Help Too!

Explore our website to learn how you can do your part to reduce water use! Check out our many rebate offerings, tips and tricks to use water more efficiently inside and outside of your home and business. Or, contact us at waterconservation@bozeman.net or 406-582-3220 to learn more about how we can help you conserve water.

Water Smart Demonstration Gardens

Drought Tolerant Demonstration Gardens

The City of Bozeman installed drought tolerant demonstration gardens to showcase the beauty of water wise landscaping. Take a stroll around these gardens for inspiration and to learn how you can create your own water smart garden. No matter where you might find yourself in the City- odds are you're not far from one of our gardens!

MOR garden photo

To learn more about each of the City's six drought tolerant demonstration gardens, check out our online interactive demo garden map.

Education and Outreach Initiatives

Program Report

Model Homeowner Association/ Property Owner Association Covenants

In 2023, the City engaged with residents on the Model HOA/POA Covenants project, a project that worked to establish draft covenants that HOAs could adopt that line up with city priorities like water conservation, composting, and childcare.

Check out the Final Covenants document and Covenant Word Template below to learn more about how your HOA or POA can encourage water conservation among residents by promoting the installation of sustainable landscape features. Please feel free to use these templates as you update or create your HOA/POA bylaws.

Final Covenants (English) (PDF)

Final Covenants (Spanish) (PDF)

Covenants Word Template (English) (PDF)

Covenants Word Template (Spanish) (PDF)

City Of Bozeman

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