Livingston, MT
Picturesque Livingston, Montana, sits along the banks of the untamed Yellowstone River among the Rocky Mountains, just 54 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. The community is all too familiar with flooding from ice jams, flash floods, and stormwater.
In the spring of 2022 a catastrophic flood along the Yellowstone River destroyed homes, businesses, and key infrastructure, and threatened Livingston neighborhoods that are identified as disadvantaged according to the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). The damages also set back the local tourism industry that drives a significant portion of the region’s economic activity. The city recognized a need for new stormwater infrastructure that could protect property and preserve emergency services. Livingston leaders set out to find pro-active solutions that can help them prepare for future flooding.
Livingston partnered with Headwaters Economics’ FloodWise program in 2023 to analyze the feasibility of developing a stormwater utility. FloodWise hired Advanced Engineering and Environment Services to conduct the study. The end goal of the analysis is to develop a funding source that can support capital improvement projects and maintenance, as well as prepare for new regulatory standards that the city’s stormwater utility will be required to meet in the future.
FloodWise also contracted a grant writer to assist in compiling a proposal that was submitted by the Northern Rocky Mountain Economic Development District to the U.S. Economic Development Administration in 2023. FloodWise may provide additional assistance to identify funding for capital improvement projects from state or federal sources.
By prioritizing both immediate and long-term solutions, Livingston’s leaders aim to reduce the community’s overall flood risk and vulnerability, ensuring a safer and more resilient future for its residents.
(Photo by William Campbell/Getty Images)
Snapshot
- 2023 FloodWise community
- Population: 8,000
- Major waterway: Yellowstone River
- Flood type: river flooding, stormwater flooding