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
**CEC Biennium Ends May 31**
Water and Wastewater Operator Training
April 29, 2026, 9:00AM –4:00PM
Glacier Peaks Hotel
50 Museum Lp, Browning, MT 59417
Safety – Confined Space and PPE
Security – Cyber, Physical, Operational and Situational Awareness
9:00 AM to Noon
Hands-on Valve Training 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Disaster Preparedness – Crisis Communications 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
For more information, contact Robin at (406) 781-8775
CECs: .6 Water and .6 Wastewater
This training event is free of charge
Please Register at www.mrws.org
MRWS Workshop Registration (No Fees)
Annual Glacier Park and Small System Training Workshop
Park service Community Center
Administration Complex
West Glacier, MT – May 6, 2026
8:00am—8:10am Welcome (Christine Maday, MRWS)
8:10am – 9:00am Water Audits
(Nate Wesienburger, AE2S) [0.100 Water CECs]
9:00am—10:00am Valves- Choosing the Right one for the Job
(Nate Wesienburger, AE2S) [0.100 Dual CECs]
10:00am-11:00am Water Chemistry for Opertaors
(Kyla Terry, MRWS) [0.100 Dual CECs]
11:00am-12:00pm Sampling and Monitoring
(Jon Cuthbertson, ME Labs) [0.100 Dual CECs]
12:00 – 1:00pm — >>>>>> Lunch on your Own <<<<<<
1:00pm— 2:30pm Pump Operations and Troubleshooting- Hands on demo
(Marie Gerrish, Stenner Pumps)[0.150 Dual]
2:30pm—4:00pm Intro to Backflow Prevention
(Christine Maday, MRWS) [0.150 Dual CECs]
Water and Wastewater Operator Exam Certification Review Session
Columbia Falls Fire Department
624 1st Ave W, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
May 19th and 20th @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Lunch on your own 12:00 – 1:00
· Comprehensive look at the “Needs to Know” list for your classification.
· Math Formula Sheets and several practice questions.
· Intro to all pertinent terminology.
· Water treatment and distribution, Source Water and more.
· Wastewater collection and treatment.
· Safety and Security.
· Discuss pump and valve characteristics.
· Intro to disinfection properties and methods – Chlorine, UV.
BRING ALL STUDY MATERIALS!!!
Whether you’ve applied to take an exam or are planning to apply, this review will get you on the right track for the comprehensive review at the MRWS Conference!!
Review presenters are MRWS Staff
Contact Robin Franzen or John Paddock for details!
rfranzen@mrws.org (406) 781-8775
jpaddock@mrws.org (406) 460-1934
No CECs for these sessions.
MRWS Workshop Registration (No Fees)
This workshop will be hosted by MRWS and Marty Walker from Prestige Worldwide Technologies. The agenda may be adjusted to provide the best training for those in attendance! Class starts at 9:00am. Lunch is 12:00pm-1:00pm and adjourned at 4:00pm.
0.600 Water and 0.600 Wastewater CECs
AUTOMATIC CONTROL VALVE MAINTENANCE
- SYSTEM SHUT DOWN
- BASIC TROUBLE SHOOTING OF VALVES
- SYSTEM START-UP & PILOT SETTING
How program is related to maintenance and managing the operations of a water/wastewater system
This instruction is intended to provide maintenance personnel with a fundamental understanding.
Guidelines for troubleshooting control valves during emergencies and restoring them to operational status.
Valve Types;
- Main Valve
- Pump control Valve Installation & Applications Water vs Wastewater
- Pressure Reducing
- Pressure Relief
- Pump Control
- Altitude Control Valve
- Basic Troubleshooting
- Trouble Shooting Pilot Controls
- System Shut Down D. System Start-up & Pilot Setting
- Hands on demo in Truck Trailer
Time allotted for questions.
Agenda to be announced
Spring Water School is a offered by MW2OI.
The Montana Water and Wastewater Operators Initiative (MW2OI) is a collaborative effort
between the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Civil
Engineering at Montana State University to provide training to the operators so critical to
Montana’s communities Please contact them directly with questions.
Telephone: (406) 994-6550
Fax: (406) 994-7856
E-mail: ato@montana.edu
Click link below for more info:
Spring Water School 2026 – Academic Technology and Outreach | Montana State University
Training & Where We Go!
![IMG_3135[1]](https://mrws.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_31351-scaled.jpg)
![IMG_3138[1]](https://mrws.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_31381-scaled.jpg)
![IMG_3140[1]](https://mrws.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_31401-scaled.jpg)
![IMG_3136[1]](https://mrws.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_31361-scaled.jpg)
![IMG_3131[1]](https://mrws.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_31311-scaled.jpg)
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
