City Desk

Details

Category: City Desk

• Water
• Contamination

ButteNews
Aug 15,2025
5:59 pm

The possible affected contamination area has bee greatly reduced according to Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive JP Gallaher.vArea of Affected area is located south of Farrell, west of Continental, north of Ottawa and east of Farragut and Howard (see map)

On 8/13/2025 the Butte-Silver Bow Water Utility Division was notified of a cross connection in the distribution system. Due to the nature of this cross connection and the possibility of unknown contaminants, this Do Not Consume Advisory is being issued to protect public health.  This situation may have led to the introduction of multiple contaminants in the drinking water; these contaminants may include total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria and various chemicals.

What does this mean?

• If you live or work in the affected area, the use of bottled water is recommended at this time. Do not use the water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, making baby formula or food preparation.  Bottled water should be used for all of the above necessities until further notice.
• People with severely compromised immune systems, infants and some elderly may be at increased risk when exposed to contaminated water.  These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.  General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s website: https://epa.gov/safewaterhotline [epa.gov]

• Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.  Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.  They may pose a special risk for infants, young children and people with severely compromised immune systems. The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water.  If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.  People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

What is being done?

System flushing and sampling is occurring, and results do not indicate widespread contamination of the distribution system allowing for a smaller identified area of concern. Butte Silver Bow will continue to update the community as more information becomes available.

For more information contact:   Butte-Silver Bow Emergency Hotline at (406) 497-6440              

BUTTE - As of 6:30 p.m. on August 14, the DEQ has informed Butte-Silver Bow that results received so far from both Butte-Silver Bow’s internal analysis and the MT State Lab are promising, with no signs of contamination.

Butte-Silver Bow continues to work with Energy Labs in Helena, the State Lab in Helena, and the Bureau of Mines at Montana Tech as well as ongoing internal sampling and lab analysis. We are still awaiting results from the Bureau of Mines, which is testing for metals, and we hope to receive those results early in the afternoon on August 15.

Butte-Silver Bow water treatment employees are continuing to collect samples, with an additional seven samples from the affected area to be collected this evening. These will be delivered to the State Lab by 8 a.m. on August 15. Butte-Silver Bow crews have also been flushing the affected water lines throughout the day.

The “Do Not Consume” order will remain in effect until all testing is complete and the DEQ officially rescinds the order.

The BSB Hotline will be open until 10 p.m. on August 14 and will reopen at 7 a.m. on August 15. The hotline number is 406-497-6440.

BUTTE - As of 5:00 PM, Thursday, August 14, the Civic Center Water Distribution operation has again run out of water. We will be expecting additional shipments tomorrow. In the meantime, citizens can visit Montana Resources on Shields Avenue until 7:00 PM tonight. They will continue distributing water again beginning at 8:00 AM on Friday.