This story is published by agreement with the Livingston Enterprise. It may not be republished without the express permission of the Enterprise.
Big Timber city officials voted 3-2 to ban the sale of all bulk drinking water to outside entities following a special meeting on Aug. 11. The nearly two-hour meeting was interspersed with heated debate from the public and between council members.
The deciding vote came from local chiropractor and Big Timber Mayor Greg DeBoer.
The ban, which allows for emergency water purchases for fires and other events, remains in force until a bulk water sale policy can be devised and instituted, leaving the Crazy Mountain Ranch (CMR) without water for irrigating its golf course in the meantime.
CMR is owned by Lone Mountain Land Co., a subsidiary of the exclusive Big Sky Yellowstone Club’s parent organization. The corporation purchased and transported 1,646,400 gallons of drinking water from the city for its bourgeoning golf course west of Clyde Park in Park County, nearly 50 miles away, as of Aug. 11.
Big Timber procured as much as $1,400 daily for 100,000 gallons, according to city clerk and treasurer Hope Mosness.
DeBoer tipped the scales on the otherwise gridlocked 2-2 city council vote during the meeting. The decision temporarily ended three weeks of growing controversy, which made statewide headlines. The decision resulted in a resounding applause from more than 25 members of the public attending the meeting.
“Emotions are driving a lot of this, not common sense,” said the mayor during the meeting. “The crux of it is rich people buying water for a golf course. When I ask people what is the problem with it, it always comes back to ‘it is those billionaires watering their golf course.’ What’s the problem with us selling bulk water to the CMR? The only reason I voted to suspend it is because of the petition.”
Lone Mountain Land Co. voluntarily halted natural irrigation of the CMR golf course from Rock Creek and Rock Lake on July 10. The shutoff occurred a day before the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation filed a lawsuit and a cease-and-desist order mandating a halt to the irrigating of the land until a proper recreational use permit can be procured.
In the meantime, three to four trucks, each hauling 6,400 gallons of water, were picking up and delivering three to four times from Big Timber daily, until Aug. 11, according to Buster Bullock, owner of Bullock Contracting LLC.
COUNCIL DISCUSSION
“As a councilman, I feel it’s my job to listen to the citizens of Big Timber,” said city council member Jeff Davis.
Davis introduced the proposal temporarily banning bulk water sales. In the case of this subject, overwhelmingly, the majority of the residents want the city to stop selling bulk water, he said.
Davis proposed the only viable path forward for the city to continue selling bulk water is for a approved bulk water sales policy to be established. Such a policy was never in place during bulk water sales from the city to outside entities for the past 30 years, according to city officials.
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“As a resident of the city, I also agree we need to stop all water sales until a policy can be approved,” he said. “Currently we are selling [as much as] 100,000 gallons of water daily, which goes through the water treatment plant. By selling that additional water, we are taxing that treatment plant more than we need to. Water we have sold to date does not need to be treated. Until we get this policy in place … the sales have to stop.
“We’re selling bulk water at way too low a price,” said Davis, noting the city’s bulk water rate of $14 per 1,000 gallons. The rate is unchanged from 2008, while city residential water rates are slated to increase, per Mosness.
“It’s a lot of these things that unfortunately seems to me like it’s a runaway bandwagon effect that you get on social media,” said city council member Leonard Woehler, who caveated that a regulatory policy is needed.
However, Woehler voted against Davis’ motion with member Justin Ferguson.
“We’re operating in the red,” said Woehler. “We need to be operating in the black to increase the amount of money we have to replace [water] infrastructure in town. Bulk water sales. That is the thing we can add to the water fund. Every bit counts. We are cutting out a stream of income that is very beneficial for the people of Big Timber.”
MORE STORAGE
In January, Big Timber received a $2.6 million grant from the Economic Development Administration for a new water storage tank. The grant covers 80% of the project cost, leaving the city responsible for $65,000 after other grants are applied.
The new water tank is expected to cost roughly $3 million and will upgrade the city water storage capacity from 300,000 gallons to nearly a million gallons, according to officials. The city paid $22,000 to apply for the grant, which requires a 20% project cost match.
Once installed, the new water storage tank is slated to increase Big Timber’s flow consumption rates, which officials previously deemed inadequate under fire scenarios, according to Public Works Director Kris Novotny. During the meeting, Novotny reiterated a cumulative daily 100,000-gallon withdrawal from the city’s pre-existing 600,000 gallon water storage tank does not contribute to a increase fire risk.
“I’m the only one who voted against it,” said Davis, referencing the additional water tank project. “It’s in place, it’s being done, the money is being spent for it. I still can’t understand how we can reach out to the EDA requesting disaster supplemental funds because of our limitations with only one tank. Then we turn around and we’re selling 1/6 of the water in the tank on a daily basis.”
PUBLIC COMMENT
“The volume is what hit me,” said resident Dulcie Rae Bue-Clavarino, who assembled a petition with 100-plus local signatures with varying levels of concern. Bue-Clavarino proceeded, citing statistics provided by Mosness.
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“Between January 2021 and December 2024, Big Timber sold 1.4 million gallons of bulk [drinking water]. Year to date in 2025, as of Friday, the bulk water sales are sitting at 1.66 million gallons sold. 1.64 million [gallons] was sold to CMR.”
“The amount of water we’re sending 50 miles away…is what my family [of 5] uses in just under six months,” said Bue-Clavarino “They are trucking out six months worth of water for a family of five in one day every day…It’s a contractor trucking our treated water 50 miles away to water someone’s grass because [CMR] couldn’t be bothered to go through the proper legal channels. Bulk water sales need to stop until a policy is in base.”
“More people would prefer to have the bulk water sales stopped until you actually have a policy,” said Linda Brunckhorst. “Do you really want to go against the majority of the citizenry?”
“There’s real ramifications for increasing the draw of our water resources,” said Doug Ayers, owner of Big Timber Fly Fishing, a guide fishing service operating on the Boulder River. “I’m for water.”
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