Our Mission | Montana Clean Water

Montana Clean Water's Misssion

Our mission is to protect and preserve Montana’s clean water for families, farms, and future generations. We believe that clean water is vital to the health of our communities, our agriculture, and our environment. We are committed to ensuring that this essential resource remains plentiful and accessible, supporting both responsible development and the well-being of our state. Together, we can work toward sustainable solutions that balance economic growth with the preservation of Montana’s natural beauty and water resources. Join us in our efforts to safeguard this vital resource for future. Together, we can ensure that Montana's water remains pure and abundant.

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Montana Clean Water’s

Letter to the Editor

Montana Clean Water Stands Our Ground

Click to Read Letter

Preserving Clean Water For Future Generations

We strongly oppose the use of clean, potable water for hydraulic fracturing (fracking). While petroleum products have undoubtedly contributed to the advancement of modern society, we firmly believe that clean water resources should not be sacrificed in the process. We urge industry stakeholders to source water from alternative locations and transport it as needed, rather than relying on our valuable water supply. Our wells are vital to the health and well-being of our communities, and we must ensure their protection for future generations.

Read Montana Clean Water's Letter to the Governor Greg Gianforte

The Honorable Greg Gianforte

Office of the Governor

State Capitol Helena, MT 59620

Feb, 2025

We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the proposed water extraction permit 42M 30163320 for Big Horn Leasing LLC. This permit threatens to deplete our local aquifer and jeopardize the livelihoods of families, ranchers, and farmers in Richland County. State decisions affecting water rights can help or irreparably harm local communities, and it is crucial that we take action to protect our water resources before they are exhausted.

Water is a vital resource for Montana’s residents, especially those in rural areas who rely on wells to sustain their homes and businesses. Many local families have invested heavily in their wells and storage tanks, and losing access to water would not only disrupt their lives but result in great financial loss. Our rain-fed aquifer provides potable water to families in Richland County.

There is growing concern that the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is prioritizing corporate interests over the rights of well-owners and the long-term sustainability of our water supply. The people of Richland County are facing a grave threat to our property, livelihoods, and future.

We are particularly troubled by the apparent conflict of interest between the DNRC and the Dry Red Water Authority (DRWA), a DNRC-funded entity that stands to benefit from the depletion of our aquifer. The DNRC has confirmed that both county officials and the DNRC itself have borrowed heavily to fund DRWA projects; however, they cannot access government grants to repay this debt until their feasibility and environmental studies are approved.

“There are no federal dollars available for construction yet because they haven’t completed their feasibility study.”
— DNRC Grant Administrator, 3/4/2025

This financial pressure incentivizes officials to push the DRWA project forward at any cost—even if it means rendering private wells useless. By depleting residents' wells then offering a solution through DRWA water, they create the illusion of necessity.

These concerns are compounded by the DNRC’s reliance on incorrect and outdated hydrogeological data, which does not reflect the aquifer in question. Specifically, the departments insistence that the “Yellowstone River is hydraulically connected to the source aquifer.”

The people of Richland County are losing more than just water—they are being divested of the water that is a part of their land.

We respectfully implore your intervention in this matter to ensure the protection of Montanans' water needs, the safeguarding of well owners' rights, and the adoption of a transparent and sustainable approach to water management that prioritizes the long-term welfare of our state and its residents.

Thank you for your attention to this critical issue.

Letter To The Editor In The Sidney Roundup

No Drops Left

Big Horn Leasing LLC is on the cusp of being granted 75 million gallons of potable water per year for fracking, in perpetuity, by our government. Their application for shallow, potable water will affect 1,367 active groundwater rights in Richland County. This is the precious water that families, livestock and wild animals rely upon. According to Big Horn’s Preliminary Determination to Grant, “This use is considered 100% consumptive as water is not expected to return to the source (pg. 20).”

Big Horn Leasing LLC wants to take water from the Highway 200 arid plateau aquifer, which is replenished by rainwater. This is pure, clean water that can be consumed directly from the well. According to our hydrogeologist, Big Horn’s application has several issues:

(1) The application represents our aquifer as if it were homogenous - like a large, continuous pool. It is not. This aquifer is more like an ant farm, with individual streams and columns made of sandstone and clay.

(2) The application claims that the Yellowstone River supplies water to the aquifer. This is false. The Highway 200 aquifer is significantly higher than the river; water does not flow uphill.

(3) During the applicant's testing, drawdown began to increase rather than stabilize. Big Horn requested a variance, which the Glasgow DNRC director approved.

(4) During testing, no monitoring of nearby wells took place.

(5) The potential impact on surface waters was not adequately addressed.

So, I called the Glasgow Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) for an appointment.

During our meeting on January 8, 2024, I asked the Glasgow DNRC Director, Lih-an Yang, the following questions:

“If I put a pipe on my land, could I also apply for 229 Acre Feet (approximately 75 million gallons) per year and expect to be granted a permit using the same hydrogeological data as Big Horn Leasing?”

Yang said, “Yes.”

“What about two or three of my neighbors along Highway 200?” I asked. “Could they also get 229 AF per year?”

Yang said “Yes.”

“So,” I asked, “When would the DNRC stop permitting water rights for fracking?”

Yang’s answer:

“When there isn’t one drop left.”

The problem is this: should potable, clean water be permitted for fracking, a Gold Rush mentality will develop toward our aquifers that rely on rainwater for renewal.

And, should a homeowner experience poor water quality or drawdown to their well, he or she would need to purchase water from another source. If the residents of Sidney were to purchase 75 million gallons of water a year from the DRWA, it would cost $353,113.42 annually.

While the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority (DRWA)’s website claims that this area’s aquifer is shallow and limited, the application claims that the Highway 200 aquifer is a large pool that can support 75 million gallon drawdown yearly, in perpetuity.

Big Horn’s application is scheduled to be approved on February 24, 2025. It is time to take action to preserve the best water in the county, for families, farms, flora and fauna. Call your representatives and let them know that our natural, potable water should be protected. We want some drops left.

Daniela Bennion

Founder Montana Clean Water