Voice of the River

Free Well Test Kits Available Tuesday, March 8th at the Big Sky Post Office

If you live outside of the Big Sky Water & Sewer District, you avoid quarterly utility bills. However, owning a home with a well and septic system means that you are your own utility company. Testing your well water to ensure that it is clean and safe to drink is your responsibility.

Join the Gallatin River Task Force Tuesday, March 8th, between 11 AM and 2 PM at the Big Sky Post Office to pick up a FREE well test kit. Task Force staff will teach you how to test your well water and help you select which parameters to test. If you can’t make the event, stop by the Gallatin River Task Force Office: 47855 Gallatin Road, Suite 4 or the Gallatin Local Water Quality District Office: 215 W. Mendenhall, Suite 300, Bozeman, Montana to pick up a kit.

The Health Department recommends that you test your well for nitrate and bacterial contamination annually. Otherwise, the Montana Well Educated Program recommends that drinking water should be tested if:

  • You notice a change in your water quality
  • People using the water suffer from an illness which may be waterborne
  • There is a flood or large storm that may have carried contaminants to your wellhead
  • Maintenance work is done on the well
  • A pregnant woman, a woman anticipating pregnancy, or an infant under the age of six months becomes a water user

For more information on what to test for, when to test it, and why, visit the MSU Extension website or contact the Gallatin Local Water Quality District, #406-582-3145.

For homeowners with wells adjacent to streams affected by the Yellowstone Club effluent spill: if you are concerned about water quality in your well, the Yellowstone Club will cover testing costs. Bring your well test kits to the Big Sky Water & Sewer District OR to Bridger Analytical Laboratory: 7539 Pioneer Way, Bozeman, MT 59718.

 

 

 

 

Subscribe to the GRTF Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive news and updates from the Task Force.

You have Successfully Subscribed!