Since 2019, residents of Worden and Ballantine, Montana, have relied on bottled water after tests found elevated nitrate and nitrite levels in their tap water. Families, businesses, and schools changed their routines overnight, and the Worden-Ballantine Yellowstone County Water & Sewer District set out to restore safe drinking water.
With funding from USDA Rural Development’s Water and Environmental Programs, the district is securing land, drilling four new wells, installing treatment equipment, and connecting the upgrades to usable parts of the existing system. Administrator and operator Sandy Kust, who also delivers bottled water to residents, says the extra cost runs to thousands of dollars monthly, but she has come to know every customer on the system.
The Huntley Project School District has been heavily affected. Superintendent Mark Wandle oversees water deliveries to dispenser stations, and the school cooks meals with bottled water and adjusts menus to use less of it. Health professionals, including RiverStone Health’s Amanda Gallagher, note that the community includes many high-risk residents, with the greatest danger coming from long-term exposure.
