DEQ opens comment on Quantica well near Broadview

Montana DEQ opened a public comment period Sept. 29 on a proposed well for Quantica’s Big Sky Campus. The proposed well is about 3.5 miles southeast of Broadview in Yellowstone County. It would draw from the Madison aquifer, which DEQ says is about 1,000 feet below the Eagle Sandstone aquifer that supplies most nearby water sources.

DEQ estimates campus water use at about 150,000 gallons a day during construction and projects total use of 20,000 gallons a day after construction. The well could also serve a closed-loop cooling system; DEQ’s notice does not specify how much, if any, of the post-construction estimate would go to cooling.

DEQ says the system qualifies as a public water supply because it is expected to regularly serve at least 25 people for more than six months a year. Its review covers physical water availability, water quality and system design. Legal water rights are handled separately by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The comment period does not approve the well or authorize water withdrawals; before beneficial use, the campus would need an applicable water right or authorized supply.

Comments are due to DEQ by 11:59 p.m. Oct. 29, 2026.