Montana
Montana State Prison water routinely positive for coliform bacteria
Montana State Prison’s drinking water has routinely tested positive for coliform, a bacteria found in fecal matter, and the facility has received numerous drinking water violations over the past three decades, according to the state’s Safe Drinking Water Information System.
Publicly available drinking water tests from the Department of Public Health and Human Service’s Environmental Lab show the prison’s aging and troubled system tested positive for coliform 11 times in 2025 and eight times in 2024.
Questions about water quality have come to the surface since a reported water pipe break at the prison 10 days ago that left inmates without consistent drinking water and in some cases not enough water, according to an inmate and family members.
But water quality at the prison appears to be a longstanding issue. The Department of Corrections said it takes those concerns seriously.
“The safety of inmates and staff members at Montana State Prison (MSP) is paramount, and any safety concerns brought to the department’s attention are addressed immediately,” Department of Corrections spokesperson Carolynn Stocker wrote in an email to the Daily Montanan. “The Department works closely with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to ensure the safety of water.”
The facility has received seven “individual violations” since 2022. When inspections reveal issues, there is a set notification process. The violations, which follow testing, were over E. coli monitoring, multiple consumer confidence violations — a mandated water quality reporting process by the Environmental Protection Agency — as well as notifications about copper and lead.
“DEQ has informed the DOC that lead and copper values are less than federal action levels,” Stocker wrote in an email.
When there is an issue with water that requires public notification, it’s called a violation. Even things like not responding to a correction or repair request within a certain time period can be considered a violation, according to a DEQ reference sheet on federal rules surrounding coliform.
Following that notification, water facilities are asked to come back into compliance.
In an email late Monday, the Department of Corrections did not directly answer a question regarding consumer confidence report violations the Daily Montanan sent Friday. The DOC referred those questions to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which did not respond to the Daily Montanan by press time.
There have been about 50 tests for coliform, a different bacteria than E. coli, over the past year, according to the data set.
During those coliform tests the state also tests for E. coli. None of the E. coli tests showed the presence of that pathogen, and prison water hasn’t tested positive for that bacteria since 2000, and even then it was in non-potable water, the Department of Corrections said in an emailed response to questions from the Daily Montanan.
On Monday, inmates were handed a notification dated Oct. 10, saying that there were questions about the quality of the water supply, in this case, potentially from the infrastructure problems at the prison. Amanda McKnight, who has been advocating for inmates during the water crisis, said her husband, who is an inmate, read the statement and she transcribed it.
“Our water system recently experienced a loss of pressure, which could have resulted in contamination of the water supply,” the statement reads. “Because of the loss of pressure, it is unknown if contaminants could have infiltrated the distribution system.”
The statement goes on to say water from the prison’s supply should be boiled before usage.
“Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and headaches,” the statement reads.
The DOC did not immediately respond to a request late Monday for comment on the boil order notification.
McKnight said her husband had severe stomach issues for six months after entering the prison. Even before the current water crisis, she was sending him extra money for bottled water, she said, and that’s been a consistent worry.
“It’s devastating to know that my husband and 1,600 other human beings along with the staff who work there are being forced to live in conditions we wouldn’t tolerate for animals,” McKnight, who shared the violations with the Daily Montanan, wrote in a message. “Clean water is a basic human right. The State has known about these water issues for years and has done nothing. This isn’t an accident, this is neglect.”
The testing data goes back decades, and prison water has tested positive for coliform 37 times since 2001. Coliform bacteria aren’t necessarily harmful, though their presence in drinking water can indicate pathogens are in the water.
Following a water sample, bacteria is grown in a petri dish overnight, said Ben Rigby, the executive director of Montana Rural Water Systems.
If it’s a “hit” or when a sample tests positive for a specific pathogen, they’ll take several more samples, Rigby said.
Rigby was previously the Water Treatment Superintendent city of Helena’s water system and said there’s always a possibility of false positives too. Reporting out any water issues is paramount to public trust, he said.
“That’s kind of rule number one, as an operator in a public water supply,” Rigby added.
There are significant federal regulations around water quality, including the Revised Total Coliform Rule.
“Total coliforms are a group of closely related bacteria that are natural and common inhabitants of soil and surface waters,” the rule states. “Their presence in drinking water suggests that there has been a breach or failure in the water system (for example, a hole in the pipe); and pathogens, which are disease-carrying organisms, may have entered the drinking water.”
It was unclear how high the levels were of coliform bacteria. Positive tests for coliform at the prison date back to 1981, state records show. A test on Sept. 23 of this year showed the presence of coliform in the drinking water.
In an email, the Daily Montanan asked the DOC to explain the severity of the test results and its response. A DOC spokesperson explained the process the DOC uses to meet standards but did not elaborate on the positive results for coliform.
The state samples water at the facility about three times per month, Stocker wrote in an email. Those samples are delivered to the DPHHS environmental division, which then reports the results to the Department of Environmental Quality.
“If there are any concerns with the results, Corrections works with DEQ to identify and address any problems and to ensure water meets the requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and state laws,” Stocker wrote. “This could include, but is not limited to, mitigation strategies such as boil advisories. The DOC continues to work with DEQ until a negative test result is achieved and the water is confirmed free from the contaminant. When public notice is required, MSP posts that information in all public areas at the facility for staff and in the communal areas in the prison units for inmate access.”
Sewer and water issues aren’t new at the prison, and last year, Montana Public Radio reported a sewage backup lasted for days.
“As a wife, it breaks me to know that my husband — and every man inside those walls — has been drinking, showering, and living in contaminated water for years,” said Ariana Smith, whose husband is also in the facility, said in a statement last week.
The National Guard has delivered thousands of gallons of water to the prison from the city of Deer Lodge. The prison is also drawing from two on-site wells, Lee Newspapers reported on Monday.
But there’s been major issues with the city of Deer Lodge’s water system as well. One of the city’s three public wells shut down following a 2013 violation for arsenic contamination.
“The two remaining wells are also susceptible to arsenic contamination due to the proximity of the Clark Fork River,” a 2024 Department of Natural Resources and Conservation environmental assessment states. “Having only two remaining production wells poses a severe risk to the City’s ability to provide reliable water service due to lack of redundant water supply.”
Deer Lodge — and the state prison — both lie within the Anaconda Company Smelter Superfund Site.
Milling and smelting operations produced high concentrations of arsenic, lead, copper, cadmium and zinc that contaminated soil and groundwater.
Last week, the Department of Corrections said it was going to take $21 million in appropriated money from 2025 budget legislation to “modernize” the prison’s water system following the break. This work is expected to take from 60 to 90 days, the DOC said in an Oct. 18 press release.
DOC officials said they have tried to find the source of the problem, calling in multiple water experts, the state’s National Guard and a Department of Natural Resources and Conservation command team. Last week, the DOC announced in a press release that water had been restored to the Secure Adjustment Unit and units 1 and 2 on the high-security side of the facility.
Work to stabilize water access continued over the weekend, the agency said in an Oct. 18 press release. On Monday, 13 plumbers were expected to be on site, DOC Director Brian Gootkin said in a statement. A leak was found outside the A unit in the low security side of the prison, and the DOC said maintenance staff believe repairing that will help with water pressure in units A, B and C.
Some work to excavate pipes at the prison has to be done by hand, according to the DOC.
“It seems like every time we fix one leak, another one pops up affecting the system in a different way,” Gootkin said in a press release.
The Department of Corrections also said a Department of Public Health and Human Services sanitarian inspected the prison last week and provided technical assistance on the safety and adequacy of the facility’s temporary water system.
“The temporary water system inspected today meets the highest standards to ensure the health and safety of MSP inmates and staff,” DPHHS sanitation Jenna Fisher stated in a DOC press release.
A DOC release said Fisher confirmed that the facility is supplying necessities — including portable restrooms, showers, and bottled water — in quantities they said exceed levels recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
On Friday, the Department of Corrections announced potable water trucks supplied the prison’s food factory, allowing that facility’s cooking operations to resume.
Additionally, the DOC said Fisher observed that the prison’s kitchen is maintaining safe sanitation — water is being boiled, the release said — and laundry facilities remain fully operational.
Construction planning is also progressing, with plans to replace the failing water system to begin this week, the agency said.
MISSOULA — Four out of five members of Montana’s Public Service Commission were in a federal courtroom in Missoula Thursday morning, as the PSC’s former president challenges the disciplinary action taken against him earlier this year. Now, newly released documents are shedding more light on to what led up to this point.
(Watch the video for a closer look at the case.)
New documents shed light Montana PSC dispute
Commissioner Brad Molnar has sued President Jeff Welborn, Vice President Jennifer Fielder and Commissioner Annie Bukacek – the three PSC members who voted in May to require him to work remotely, after an investigation into complaints about his workplace conduct. Molnar has claimed he is being unfairly punished for constitutionally protected speech, and he asked Senior U.S District Judge Donald Molloy to allow him to return to the PSC offices.
Matthew Monforton, Molnar’s attorney, told the judge that barring Molnar from the building was limiting his ability to do his job.
“He has not been officially kicked out of office, but his voice has clearly been diminished,” said Monforton.
But Natasha Jones, an attorney representing the other three commissioners, said the findings were about behavior, not just speech, and that the PSC’s action was a reasonable response.
“These are serious concerns about a pattern of conduct that has made employees quit,” she said.
Jonathon Ambarian
On Tuesday, Molloy ordered the release of redacted versions of two full investigative reports into Molnar’s conduct – more than 100 pages of documents. Monforton had moved for the full reports to be made public, and Molloy ruled attorneys for the other PSC members hadn’t shown a compelling reason to keep the documents under seal as long as the names of people involved in the investigation were obscured.
While the names remained redacted in the investigation reports, the attorneys for Welborn, Fielder and Bukacek also filed additional documents – including a public declaration from Bukacek and from former PSC executive director Alana Lake, providing information about their allegations against Molnar.
The two reports, from an outside investigator, cover Molnar’s alleged actions over two periods: the first from February to August 2025, and the second from August to October 2025. The investigation began after the first formal complaint, filed by Bukacek in May 2025 – though the reports say employees had been bringing up concerns about Molnar’s behavior informally for several months prior.
Bukacek’s complaint claimed Molnar had repeatedly made what she called “sexualized and demeaning comments.” The examples she cited included saying the PSC should replace “Taco Tuesdays” with “Topless Tuesdays,” reminiscing about watching girls in bikinis as a teenager, and commenting about the beauty of women in areas of China who didn’t get “old and wrinkly.”
In her declaration, Bukacek also claimed Molnar had “maliciously disseminated false information” about her and “engaged in behavior that was dismissive, derisive and otherwise abusive.”
“My primary concern now is not for my safety nor my feelings, but for the rest of the staff who may not have the temperament to speak up or may feel too intimidated to speak up given concerns over job security,” Bukacek said in her declaration.
MTN News
The investigators determined Molnar had violated the PSC’s code of conduct by making comments of a sexual nature, and that it appeared his behavior had continued for some time after he was warned about it. They also found he had behaved unprofessionally and in a belittling manner toward Bukacek, though they said Bukacek herself had at times used “language that could be considered inappropriate” in emails to staff or other commissioners. Bukacek told MTN she “readily self corrected” any behaviors that were brought to her attention.
The investigation also found a violation in connection with a complaint from a PSC staff member, who said he “felt bullied” by Molnar when the commissioner sent an email complaining about his team not being “people with competence.”
However, much of the first report and the entire second report was focused on conduct after the initial complaints, when Molnar was accused of retaliating against people who participated in the investigation. Lake said in her declaration that she saw “an immediate and significant change in his behavior toward staff involved in the process.” She claimed he said he would use an attorney and private investigator to go after people who filed complaints, and she accused him of publicly criticizing her in interviews and removing her job responsibilities because of her handling of the investigation.
Lake said Molnar’s actions led to “declining morale within the agency,” undermined staff members’ ability to do their jobs and damaged her reputation. She said that led her to resign as executive director.
“I believe no employee should be forced to choose between reporting misconduct and protecting their career, reputation, or personal well-being,” she said in her declaration.
Lake has since become Helena city manager.
Jonathon Ambarian
The report said there was evidence to show Molnar had retaliated, including by “making disparaging statements about investigation participants” including Lake, by sending an email warning he could file complaints of his own against people involved, and by taking other actions investigators said could dissuade employees from reporting behavior in the future.
Monforton said during Thursday’s hearing that the initial comments Bukacek complained about were jokes Molnar had admitted were inappropriate, that he regretted saying them, and that he hasn’t made any similar comments in about a year. But he argued the vast majority of the findings against Molnar were about retaliation – and that those were primarily based on speech that the other commissioners don’t have the right to interfere with.
Monforton said it’s unreasonable to punish Molnar for what he said in the July news conference where he announced he was under investigation, in interviews with the media or in commission meetings. He said Molnar’s conduct doesn’t rise to the level of actual retaliation.
“This is an elected official, engaging in speech in his forum,” Monforton said.
He said Molnar may have made harsh comments toward staff, but that he had the right to raise objections about the way the agency does business.
Jonathon Ambarian
Monforton also argued the retaliation claims no longer justify keeping Molnar out of the office, since Welborn, Fielder and Bukacek voted to remove him as president in October and he no longer has the authority he’s accused of misusing. He said there haven’t been further complaints about his behavior since that time.
“We’re not asking for the moon and stars, we’re asking for the status quo as it existed for the last seven months,” he said.
Jones said there is enough evidence to show Molnar would have been punished regardless of whether any protected speech was excluded.
“This is not about a couple of jokes,” she said.
Jones said Molnar made maliciously false statements about people like Lake, and that type of statement isn’t covered by free speech protections.
She also said Molnar’s exclusion from the PSC offices is temporary, and that the PSC will reconsider whether to let him return if he apologizes for his actions, accepts the agency’s code of conduct and undergoes training.
Molloy indicated he saw indications that there was “acrimony” on both sides of the situation, and said he was skeptical it would be resolved easily.
“It would be nice if instead of juvenile behavior, there was professional behavior,” he said.
However, the judge said there was an avenue for Molnar to pursue if he wanted to reach a resolution.
Molloy took no immediate action Thursday. He told the parties he would rule as quickly as he could.
Carrie Gilbertson has been executive director of Cancer Support Community Montana for just under two months, stepping into the role in April with more than 15 years of nonprofit experience and a lifetime of Montana roots.
The organization provides psychosocial and mental health support to anyone affected by cancer — not just those with a diagnosis, but also family members and others walking alongside them.
WATCH: Meet the new leader of Cancer Support Community Montana 🎗️
Cancer Support Community Montana names new executive director
“This mission of providing psycho-social supports and mental health supports for anyone impacted by cancer, not just that person who has the diagnosis, but also family members, anyone who is walking alongside someone as they experience that often scary diagnosis, that’s just something that’s important to me,” Gilbertson said.
Gilbertson’s role extends beyond the Bozeman office. Cancer Support Community Montana’s Missoula location is already up and running, and a Helena location is expected to be operating soon. Each presents its own set of challenges.
“Each hospital is different. They might have different resources. Their social workers might be connecting to things in a different way. So understanding what those hospitals need, what different participants need in each community, is going to be different just because the communities are different, resources are different,” Gilbertson said.
The Bozeman office has been operating for more than 20 years, providing a foundation that supports the organization’s broader statewide efforts.
“I think this is a crew that looks at what does this community need what do our participants need what are some of the changing landscapes in cancer care what things are the gaps that we see that we can maybe just jump right in and you know let’s see if we can provide that for people so that’s something I really love about this crew that I work with and just this mission that there is some flexibility in being able to adjust and adapt as we learn more,” Gilbertson said.
Those adaptations show up in unexpected ways. The organization converts its parking lot into a pickleball court every Friday morning.
“I didn’t know there was a pickleball court. I pulled in actually with my daughter pulled in and she was is that pickleball court and I was like oh, it kind of looks like it is so yeah that’s fun, every Friday morning we clear out the parking lot and put up the net and I haven’t played yet I’ve been watching just to kind of see how that game works but they take it pretty seriously,” Gilbertson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 17, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 17 drawing
03-26-49-53-61, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 17 drawing
11-16-18-33-51, Star Ball: 09, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 17 drawing
01-16-17-27, Bonus: 01
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 17 drawing
13-22-35-36-39
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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