Water in Montana isn't just a natural resource — it's a delicate balancing act between farmers, developers, environmental groups, and government agencies.
"My grandad grew food for Bozeman and hauled it there with a horse and wagon in the summer time and a sleigh in the winter time," said Kevin Haggerty.
Haggerty's family has farmed in the Gallatin Valley for more than a century. Today, he serves as the secretary of the Middle Creek Ditch Company and was one of many voices invited on a unique water tour.
The tour, which happens every two years, brought together judges, planners, engineers, and farmers to visit key water sites across the Gallatin Valley.
"Talked about water and all sorts of different expertise was available, and so we're just trying to figure out what the future of water is," Haggerty said.
The group stopped at the Bozeman Water Treatment Facility, which processes 22 million gallons a day, before visiting diversion points, ditches, and private land.
However, even with the experts gathered in one place, Haggerty acknowledged, "Nobody can predict the future."
But by bringing together those who use the water and those who write the rules, there's hope for finding common ground.
"It's exactly that, its for education for everybody including myself. I just talked to the judge and he's still learning too. Hopefully we can get everybody behind us and get along and figure out the right thing in the future," Haggerty said.
As the valley grows, so does the need for better information. Many on the tour heard about the need to update outdated maps that show where water flows — including ditches, streams, and irrigation channels — some of which haven't been touched since the 1950s.
Using new 3D mapping tools like LIDAR, Haggerty says the work is underway.
"I've been working hard on it for the last three years and we're probably not even close to being able to map the middle creek ditch company yet," he said.
With development on the rise and climate patterns shifting, farmers say access to reliable water is more uncertain than ever, but the collaboration itself is a start.
"Collaborative has been a great edition just to bring experts together and try to mold it into something workable," Haggerty said.
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