U.S. Senator Steve Daines recently announced his bipartisan "Clean Water for Rural Communities Act" has been authorized and signed into law. The bipartisan law will ensure that thousands of Montanans have safe, reliable drinking water through the implementation of the Musselshell-Judith Rural Water System in Central Montana.

The $87M project is led by the Central Montana Regional Water Authority (CMRWA) which is a coalition of nine communities that have a long legacy of poor drinking water quality and inadequate quantity. The Musselshell-Judith Rural Water System will utilize high quality Madison Aquifer groundwater wells and a 230-mile piping system to deliver water to member communities and rural users. The groundwater source meets all Primary and Secondary Federal drinking water standards requiring no treatment except chlorination. Once water is pumped, nearly the entire system will be fed by gravity. The system design is simple yet very efficient for energy use, operations, and water conservation since no treatment plant is required. Great West Engineering has been assisting the CMRWA for over 15 years on the project. For more information please visit www. centralmontanawater.com.