Two of the most common claims opponents have raised against our gravel pit in Gallatin Gateway are water contamination and declining well levels. The Gateway Conservation Alliance has gone so far as to make dire public statements like this:
“Gateway residents face an uphill battle to protect their health, property values, and the Gallatin River Watershed.”
—Gateway Conservation Alliance, Facebook, August 16, 2023
Sounds alarming, right? If you read their posts and webpage, you’d think Montana was littered with horror stories of gravel pits poisoning wells, depleting aquifers, and wreaking havoc on rivers. Shoot, you might even feel compelled to donate to their noble cause—those fearless defenders battling the evil gravel pit before it “devastates the environment.”
Surprise! You’ve been had.
Here’s the reality:
Of Montana’s approximately 1,800 active gravel pits, research suggests there are exactly zero proven cases of water contamination or well depletion.
You heard that right. Let it sink in—pun intended. The risk of a Montana gravel pit polluting your water? 0%. Ironically, that’s about the same chance that legislators and citizens aren’t being manipulated by activist fear mongering.
Yes, anything is possible. But claiming our gravel pit will be the first permitted pit in Montana to contaminate water is like refusing to cross the street because a white bison might fall from the sky. It’s not an argument—it’s a fantasy. If their claims rest on possibilities instead of realities, they’re built on nothing but sand… which, conveniently, you can buy from our gravel pit in the future.
For the facts, watch this brief video expose the truth from Montana Senate Natural Resources Hearing on SB391. This is what happens when your argument is based on false claims.