Montana State Prison to install ‘modern’ water infrastructure at facility

Blaming 1970s infrastructure that apparently has not been properly maintained, the Montana Department of Corrections presented the beginning of a plan to permanently address water issues at the Montana State Prison.

In a late Wednesday news release, the department said it would “begin installing new, modern and permanent water infrastructure” with a $21 million appropriation after receiving approval from Gov. Greg Gianforte.

On Friday, DOC said a pipe broke at the prison in Deer Lodge that left it without running water or flushing toilets. Inmates have described concerns about food, sanitation and a lack of drinking water. 

The reported break took place while the prison is in the midst of a $211 million reconstruction that’s part of a large effort to improve and expand the state’s correctional system, a policy priority for the governor and many members of the legislature.

“Director (Brian) Gootkin instructed teams contracted to work on the construction of the new units at the prison to develop a design and plan to move forward with this (water) project as early as next week,” the release stated. “MSP’s water and sewer infrastructure was largely built in the 1970s. Since that time, work on the system has for the most part been limited to fixing problems, not maintaining or improving the system for the long haul.”

Gootkin said the prison will continue providing water to inmates while it takes  on “this longer fix.”

“Years of deferred maintenance have caught up with us and we’re finding multiple failures throughout the system,” Gootkin said in a press release.

DOC officials said they have tried to find the source of the problem, calling in multiple water experts, the state’s National Guard and a Department of Natural Resources and Conservation command team. The department has brought in portable toilets and water bottles for inmates.

The prison in Deer Lodge houses 1,600 prisoners. It also has an economic impact on the local community, Powell County Commissioner Dan Sager said on Thursday.

Sager, whose district includes the prison, called the difficulties at the prison an “unfortunate situation” but said he felt they are being addressed and will be resolved.

The National Guard has been transporting water from the City of Deer Lodge fill station to the prison, the city’s public works superintendent, Trent Freeman, said in an email.

Money for ancillary items such as portable showers is coming out of state disaster emergency services funds. The emergency declaration Gianforte signed last week authorized funds from the Governor’s Emergency Appropriation, Kaitlin Price, the governor’s press secretary, wrote in an email.

Cost estimates are being compiled by each agency involved, she added. A total was not available from the Governor’s Office.

The new unit construction is part of the $211 million project at the prison stemming from 2023 legislation that will replace three of the four low-security housing units at the facility. Money for the new water repair is coming out of House Bill 5, which set aside $21 million for infrastructure at the prison.

The money was appropriated during the 2025 legislative session before the crisis.

“The department may also extend existing design, construction, and other contracts at its sole discretion, in order to expedite the project,” House Bill 5 reads.

Sen. Tom McGillvray, a Billings Republican who sat on a legislative committee that deals in part with DOC funding, said the legislature was ahead on this issue.

“Fortunately, we have the money set aside for that,” McGillvray said. “They’re just going to speed up the timeline.”

Construction companies at the site, including Sletten Construction, are assisting DOC in repairs by providing additional excavation equipment, a release from the state said late last week.

Sletten Construction did not respond to a voicemail left to regional company leadership. 

Construction on the housing units began in April, and it’s unclear how far along the project is, or whether the problems with water and construction are related.

DOC said it has found multiple leaks over the past two days.

“We are going to simultaneously continue our work to identify the issues with the existing system and install a modern system that will take us into the future,” Gootkin said. “This is not going to be an easy couple of months for inmates or staff, but the end result will be worth it.”

According to the DOC, water access will be rolled among units “throughout the day” to allow for work to occur on the system, though it was not immediately clear what parts of the prison have access to running water.

DOC reported that resources on site at the prison include 153 portable toilets (including 12 ADA-compliant) and 43 portable showers. All MSP inmates had the opportunity to take a shower by the end of Wednesday, a state press release said.