Daines calls for help with Rocky Boy water

In a letter to Indian Health Services dated Jan 4, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., urged the agency to meet the request of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and fund repairs of the reservation’s water system.

“I write to implore your swift and immediate action in response to the Chippewa Cree Tribe’s urgent request regarding the tribe’s water service,” Daines wrote in his letter.

Daines said the issue is “of the utmost importance and must be addressed immediately.”

Dustin White, interim director of the Tribal Water Resources Department of Public Works, said Thursday that the reservation’s water system has almost been restored to its normal operation after low water pressure and reduced water storage tank levels, combined with waterline breaksbrought on by low temperatures, left 115 homes and buildings on the reservation without running water starting Dec. 22.

People without access to running water have been provided with bottled water, which can be picked up at the water department office, or in the case of the elderly and disabled, delivered to them.

White said an Environmental Protection Agency administrative order mandating that all water that goes through the affected water system be boiled prior to use remains in place. He said the Water Department will put in a request Monday to have the order lifted by next Friday.  

Since the low pressure and breaks were discovered, the Water Resources Department has conducted tests to ensure the water supply is not contaminated, White said. So far no bacteria has been found from the tests, he said.

White said the tribe is looking for the money from IHS, EPA, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Montana Department of Emergency Services to cover the costs of the repairs, the bottled water and salaries for workers tasked with remedying the issue.

Expenses for the Water Department alone have reached $60,000 to $75,000 so far, White said.