State of Montana Newsroom
Water service restored to Montana State Prison
Water service has been restored to all buildings and housing units across Montana State Prison (MSP).
“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 (DOC) 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.”
As the facility meets water stability goals, the DOC will begin demobilizing assets that were brought in like portable toilets. 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.
The full restoration of water to all buildings and units comes two weeks after MSP lost water in the secure facility compound which affected showers, toilets and sinks on October 10. In response, the department and other agencies immediately mobilized to deliver water bottles, portable toilets, portable showers, dry shower kits, and hand washing stations.
After multiple leaks in the system were found, on October 15, the department began developing a plan to install new, modern, and permanent water infrastructure to serve MSP. The 2025 Montana Legislature provided $21 million in House Bill 5 to pay for the infrastructure replacement which will serve new units under construction at the prison as well as existing structures.
Last week, DOC staff met with Sletten Construction, DLR, and the Montana Department of Administration’s Architecture and Engineering team to flesh out a construction plan. They will meet again this week.