Montana Big Sky Resort Defeats Water Pollution Claims at Trial

Feb. 6, 2026, 11:16 PM UTC

A private Montana ski and golf resort’s sprinkler and pond systems don’t violate the US Clean Water Act, a federal jury ruled.

The Yellowstone Mountain Club LLC on Thursday beat the last claims in a lawsuit brought by an environmental group over alleged nitrogen pollution in a nearby creek after a two-day trial in the US District Court for the District of Montana at Butte.

Cottonwood Environmental Law Center on Friday appealed the jury’s verdict to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The environmental group had alleged the golf course’s maintenance had caused algae to bloom in ...

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