Montana
State Agencies Supporting Water System Partnerships
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
State Policies and Programs Regarding Water System Partnerships
DWSRF PRIORITIZATION OF CONSOLIDATION PROJECTS
Projects that promote regionalization or achieve consolidation of two or more PWSs earn 20 points. In comparison, projects that address acute health risks earn a maximum of 120 points, and projects that include proactive compliance measures earn up to 50 points. Fiscal Year 2013 included partial funding for two regionalization projects. MT predicted in the Fiscal Year 2015 report that it would use DWSRF funds for similar projects in Fiscal Year 2016 (Montana DWSRF Annual Report for State Fiscal Year 2015).
REGIONAL PLANNING
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation supports four main regional water authorities and participates in the review and implementation of regional water planning. These four regional systems are the Fort Peck Dry Prairie Rural Water System, the Rocky Boy’s North Central Montana Regional Water System, the Musselshell-Judith Regional Water System, and the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority. The regional systems receive funding through the DWSRF and other federal and tribal grant programs to help address the challenges small systems face from drought, aging infrastructure, and increasing costs.
Helpful Links to State Resources
- Public Water Supply Program: http://deq.mt.gov/Water/PWSUB
- Operator Certification: http://deq.mt.gov/Water/OperatorCertification
- Public Water Supply Laws and Rules: http://deq.mt.gov/Water/PWSUB/pws/lawsrules
- Montana’s Regional Water Systems: http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/cardd/regional-water-systems
- Montana DWSRF Annual Report for State Fiscal Year 2015: https://deq.mt.gov/Portals/112/Water/TFAB/DWSRF/AnnualReports/Final2015AnnualReport.pdf