From MSU News Service
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Montana State University will host a virtual Friday Forum on May 9th. The event, called “City of Bozeman Long Term Water Supply Planning,” will be held online via Zoom from noon to 1:30pm and is free and open to the public.
The forum will feature a presentation and analysis of Bozeman’s long-term water supply and related planning efforts. A short overview of the city’s current water supply sources will be followed by recommendations for future use and sustainability.
The featured speaker will be Shawn Kohtz, utilities director for the city of Bozeman. Kohtz is responsible for managing the city’s water supply system, distribution and conservation programs.
Kohtz will explain where Bozeman’s water comes from, break down the city’s usage and projected needs, and discuss how existing and proposed management strategies and studies feed into future needs. He will also discuss the city’s wastewater treatment processes.
In 2013, the Bozeman City Commission adopted an Integrated Water Resources Plan, which recommended water supply policies to ensure Bozeman has adequate supplies available to meet future demands. Since that time, city officials have worked to implement many of the recommendations and are now initiating an update to that plan.
It is important to continue to have a clear plan for development of future city water supplies and celebrate the demand reduction achieved through effective water conservation programming, Kohtz said.
OLLI at MSU Friday Forums are held the second Friday of the month from September through May. Registration must be completed at montana.edu/olli or on Zoom on or before May 9th at 11am. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions on how to join the program.
OLLI at MSU is a program of MSU Academic Technology and Outreach. More information can be found online at montana.edu/olli. •
