Water service at Montana State Prison fully restored

The Montana Department of Corrections announced crews have restored full water service at Montana State Prison near Deer Lodge.

Water had previously been restored throughout most of the facility on Friday, with additional worked needed at the High Side 2 facility during the weekend.

“Over the past two weeks, our employees, community partners, and the Montana National Guard kept us operational. All these folks worked hard to get us to where we are today,” said Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin. “We have so many people to thank from our maintenance staff, public safety officers, government partners and businesses who jumped in when we needed help. There is still a lot of work to be done but this is a big win.”

Multiple water pipes at the prison broke early this month, which forced the state to truck in water to the prison. Several different agencies have been involved with the continuing response at the facility and the National Guard was called to assist.

The state is using $21 million in appropriated funds to improve water infrastructure at the prison. That funding was passed last session and the timeline on construction has now sped up. 

The Department of Corrections said Sletten Construction, DLR, and the Montana Department of Administration’s Architecture and Engineering team are meeting to establish a construction plan.

Some equipment that had been installed during the water crisis, which has lasted about two weeks, is now being taken down, the agency added.

“As the facility meets water stability goals, the DOC will begin demobilizing assets that were brought in like portable toilets,” the press release stated. “MSP is still under a boil advisory from the Department of Environmental Quality and will continue testing water until it is certified safe for consumption. Inmates still have access to bottled water.”

Inmates were given the boil advisory notice last week, which essentially gave them a warning about issues in the water supply. 

Water at the prison has consistently tested positive for coliform bacteria, which can be found in surface water, water that contacts soil and fecal matter — coliform is also found in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. The presence of coliform bacteria is not necessarily harmful to humans, but is notable because it often means there are issues in the water system.

E. coli, which the prison also tests for while testing for coliform, has not been found at the facility in 25 years.