Dry Prairie Water Flows Into Nashua, First in Valley County

By Samar

Blowing rain did not dampen the spirits of the people gathered at the edge of Nashua on Tuesday morning to inaugurate Dry Prairie water service to the town. Mayor Pat Hallett was sprayed some more with champagne as she christened the jetting fountain of clean water, the first delivery in Valley County from the rural water system. 

“Rain and water – what more can you ask?” said Allen Bunk, a Dry Prairie Board member and a former mayor of Nashua. “It's been 12 years of hard work. It's a celebration as far as I'm concerned.”

The Dry Prairie Rural Water System has been providing water since 2004 from the Culbertson water plant to towns like Froid, Bainville and Medicine Lake, and to about 230 area farms and ranches on the eastern side of the project. It's a $275 million system that will serve 28,000 people in northeastern Montana, including the Fort Peck Reservation, when it is finished. About 200 rural customers are being hooked up on the western side of the project.

"It's a very exciting day for those of us who have to haul water," said Marvin Tarum, chairman of the Dry Prairie board of directors. He thanked the Fort Peck tribes for sharing their water rights in the Missouri River, Montana's congressional delegation for being persistent about finding funding, and the Conservation Districts who oversee the board. He also thanked Boeing and MARCO, its subsidiary at St. Marie, and MARCO manager Darcel Wesen. They are supplying the water for Dry Prairie's western side customers until the water treatment plant in Wolf Point is finished next year.

"People were real good to work with in Valley County," said Steve Baldwin, the operations foreman from Culbertson. "We needed about 400 easements." He said there were only a very few refusals, which they worked around.

The town of Nashua signed on with Dry Prairie in June 2001 when Duane "Squeak" Tihista was mayor and the council persons were John Egosque, Pat Hallett, Linda (Hinton) Falkenstern and Jerry Burt.

According to Mayor Hallett, Nashua has three wells that produce plenty of water that is safe to drink. But it contains so much iron and manganese that most people do not like its taste. So residents either have reverse osmosis systems in the house or haul their drinking and coffee water from Fort Peck. 

Most homes have water softeners and filters. The water is very hard on water heaters and appliances. Rust removing agents as well as many other additives are necessary in order to do laundry, as well as to clean sinks, tubs and toilets.

Most Nashua residents are excited to get "good" water, Hallett said, but a little worried about what is will cost them. Up to this point they have paid a flat rate of $26.25 per month, as well as a very small seasonal irrigation fee. Now each house will be metered. It will cost them $39.45 for the first 1,000 gallons and $2 for each additional 1,000 gallons. Businesses will have a slightly higher basic rate for the first 1,000 gallons and $2 for each additional thousand. Nashua is in the process of installing water meters at a cost of $308,000.

Hallett said that ROs, water softeners and other treatments will no longer be necessary, therefore reducing or eliminating those expenses.

At the gathering in the Nashua Senior Center after the water was turned on, Hallett proposed a toast.

"To good water," she said. "I've said many times – I hope I can turn on my tap and get good water before I go to the nursing home and now I can."