Big Sky Brewing, Montana's largest brewer, has signed a three-year contract for Water Restoration Certificates--an innovative water stewardship program launched by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) last year.

The purchase will result in restoring flow in Prickly Pear Creek--a tributary of the Missouri River located near Helena, Montana. BEF's Water Restoration Certificate (WRC) program is the first national-level, market-based solution that enables businesses to take responsibility for water consumption by helping restore water flow to critically de-watered creeks and rivers.

Big Sky Brewing Company's purchase will result in more than 10 million gallons of water restored to the Prickly Pear Creek during the next three years. BEF is collaborating with the Clark Fork Coalition, the organization that facilitates negotiations with local water rights holders and ensures compliance.

Critically de-watered streams and rivers are a highly relevant issue for the people that live, work and play in Montana. Montana possesses over 4,000 miles of streams that are either dry or have only minimal flow through much of the year due to water laws in the Western U.S. that allow property owners to take a certain amount of water from these water sources. In many cases, the rights to withdraw water exceed the total amount of water in the river or stream--particularly in late summer. These waterways are a significant economic resource for Montana. According to the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, in 2005 alone more than 600,000 visitor groups traveled to Montana for rafting- or fishing-related activities and guided fishing trips contributed more than $51 million to the state economy.

WRCs are a voluntary, market-based program that provides economic incentives for water rights holders to reduce water use in order to maintain healthy ecosystems. Every WRC represents 1,000 gallons of water that is restored to critically dewatered streams.

The program represents the first and only certified, national-level flow restoration program that offers certificates that are standardized, inventoried and ready for purchase. Current water restoration projects funded by BEF are in Oregon and Montana, but the program is expected to expand to other geographies as support for the WRC program grows.

Standards and criteria for the WRC program have been certified by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to ensure water is returned in ways that provide the greatest environmental benefit to the surrounding region, including the support of fish and wildlife.

To further emphasize their support for the WRC program, BSBC is updating the packaging of their Montana Trout Slayer Ale, with the goal of educating customers on the brewing industry's impact on water usage and the WRC program overall. The new packaging is slated for delivery in fall of 2010.

Big Sky Brewing Company was the first to use aluminum bottles in North and South America. These containers enable more efficient shipping of product--due to the lighter weight, 34 percent more product can be shipped per load. Additionally, Big Sky has implemented systems that have reduced energy use by 80 percent, water use by 20 percent and use of natural gas by 40 percent.

Image credit: Fir0002

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Business