Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

A new water system project in North Central Montana aims to bring clean drinking water to nearly 30,000 residents.

The North Central Montana Regional Water System project stretches across 6.8 million acres, larger than nine of the United States.

The project, authorized by Congress in 2002, will supply water to more than a dozen communities with poor quality water or water that doesn't meet federal drinking standards.

Water will be transported to Tribal, Hutterite, and county water systems after going through a treatment plant near a water intake site at Lake Elwell.

Mary Hellar, Regional Water System general manager, noted, "All of us would like to turn on the tap and have clean drinking water and that's what we're all about. This project would not be able to get done if it weren't for the need of that basic, natural resource."

The project will especially help residents in the Riverview Hutterite Colony near Chester; they have just 130 residents but are required to meet the same water standards as any largely populated city in the state.

Additional information can be found on the DNRC website, including this list of participating communities:

The municipal and rural water systems involved in the project include: Town of Big Sandy, Town of Dutton, Hill County Water District, Loma County Water & Sewer District, North Havre County Water District, Oilmont County Water District, City of Cut Bank, City of Havre, City of Shelby, Town of Sunburst, Sweetgrass Community Water & Sewer District, and Tiber County Water District. Three other community water supply systems - Brady County Water & Sewer, Town of Chester, and the City of Conrad – are currently approved as provisional members, and will be supplied with regional water provided that the project sponsors can receive authorization for a higher project ceiling from Congress.