What To Know About Butte-Silver Bow's Water Safety Advisory

The following is a release from the Butte-Silver Bow Water Utility Division:

DO NOT CONSUME THE WATER

UPDATE

Butte-Silver Bow Public Water Supply System MT0000170

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

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

Photo courtesy Butte-Silver Bow Water Utilities Division

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