Welcome to
Montana Rural Water Systems
OR

KEEP RURAL AMERICA STRONG!
Today’s Congressional policies and funding decisions are jeopardizing the ability of every community in rural America to keep water and wastewater services affordable. Budget cuts will leave USDA WEP unable to accomplish its mission. WEP is instrumental in helping rural America maintain affordable and sustainable water access for all rural people.
Visit https://www.ruralwaterstrong.org/ for more info!
Upcoming Events!
TRAINING CALENDAR
Park County Disaster Response Symposium
April 3rd, 2025, 9:00AM – 3:30PM
City/County Community Room – 414 E. Callender St. Livingston, MT 59047
Lunch will be provided!!
9:00 – 10:30 Introductions and Round Table (Robin)
- Damage, Recovery Status
- What did you do – What worked – What did not work – What would you do differently
- A look at recent disasters or potential disasters across Montana
10:30 – 11:00 – DEQ’s role in Emergency Response (Karl Carlson and Kirk Yoder)
11:00 – 11:30 – Park County DES’s role in emergency response (Greg Coleman)
11:30 – 12:00 – USDA RD (Shelby Welch)
- CY 2022 Disaster Water Grants Program in Montana
- Disaster Declaration January 2022 – December 2022
- https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/calendar-year-2022-disaster-water-grants-program/mt#overview
- Economic Community Water Assistance Grant (ECWAG)
- Application Process – RD Apply
- gov and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch Break
12:30 – 1:30 – Risk and Resilience Assessment – Tool to recognize and rank your system’s current top risks (Ben with Kristi)
1:30 – 2:30 – Emergency Response Plans (Christine)
2:30 – 3:30 – Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines (Roger)
Please register at www.mrws.org CECs: Water and Wastewater 0.6
MRWS Workshop Registration (No Fees)
8:00 – 11:00 Cyber Security – Disaster Preparedness (R&R, ERPs, and SOPs)
11:00 – 12:00 and 1:00 – 3:00 – Emerging Contaminants – Manganese
Noon to 1:00PM – Lunch on your own
3:00 – 5:00 Fire Hydrant Training Sponsored by Clow Valve Company
CECs: Water 0.8 Wastewater 0.6
MRWS Workshop Registration (No Fees)
This Webinar will be presented by John Schwartz from USA Blue Book.
The first hour will focus on Distribution Concepts:
This course addresses common distribution issues along troubleshooting of the system. Review includes disinfection by-products, chloramines, taste and odor issues, system flushing and flushing safety.
The second hour will focus on Maps and Drawings:
Maps, drawings and records are the only way to inventory underground assets. This course looks at mapping and gatebooks, along with the key information they need to contain. It also covers the latest GIS layering technology.
The 2-hr webinar will be good for:
0.2 Water CECs
0.1 Wastewater CECs
Cost for non-members: $30
Cost for members: $20
USE CODE MRWS2025 for the discounted price of $20!!!
8:00 – 11:00 Cyber Security – Disaster Preparedness (R&R, ERPs, and SOPs)
11:00 – 12:00 and 1:00 – 3:00 – Emerging Contaminants – Manganese
Noon to 1:00PM – Lunch on your own
3:00 – 5:00 Fire Hydrant Training Sponsored by Clow Valve Company
CECs: Water 0.8 Wastewater 0.6
MRWS Workshop Registration (No Fees)
SOPS, Backflow Prevention, CCRs & UV Maintenance
Harlowton, MT 4/15/2025
9:00 am – Introductions & Welcome
- Each attendee will introduce themselves and their systems
9:05-10:30am – Developing SOPs – (Roger Skogen, MRWS) 0.150 Dual CECs
- Outline of Standard Operating Procedures
- Preparing for disasters (ERPs)
- During and after disasters
10:30-12:00 pm – Intro to Cross Connections and Backflow Prevention – (Christine Maday, MRWS) 0.150 Dual CEC
- History of cross connections/backflow prevention
- Importance of understanding plumbing code and Montana laws
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – Lunch on your own
1:00-2:00pm – CCR- How to Write One for Your System – (Robin Frazen, MRWS) 0.100 Water CEC
- Using the CCR writer tool
- Important rules and additions (tier 3 violations, waivers, ect)
2:00 – 4:00 pm – UV Maintenance – (Dennis Eaton, MRWS) 0.200 Dual CECs
- Discussion of new UV maintenance requirements for drinking water and wastewater
4:00 pm – Turn in CECs and dismiss
0.6 water CECs
0.5 Wastewater CECs
MRWS Regular Workshop Registration
Training & Where We Go!


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Our Mission
At MRWS, our mission is to provide quality training and technical assistance to Drinking Water, Waste Water, and Tribal systems — to enable them to produce the best product with their available resources!
“Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business of industry to which he is engaged. No man has the moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Need funding to attend training?
The MWEA (Montana Water Environment Association) Board has set aside funds in the current operating budget for assisting Montana operators to attend continuing education/training events. They want to help you get the training you need!

Why Process with GovCard?
For more information please contact: Whitney Johnson wjohnson@poweredbyevolv.com 888.311.7248 Ext 2015
- No processing costs are incurred by the utility company or municipality
- Multiple (ACH, credit, and debit) customer payment options
- Reduce receivables
- Increased service levels for your customers
- Recurring payments
- Customers appreciate the convenience of paying online and by card
- Free landing page with a click-to-pay button https://www.evolvreferral.com/353