HELENA — The water in Eastgate was recently voted as the best in all of Montana among rural water systems.
From March 20-22, the Montana Rural Water Systems Technical Conference & Exhibition took place in Great Falls.
During that conference, about 15 water samples were judged blindly for the best-tasting water in Montana. The criteria was clarity, odor, and taste.
Eastgate received the top scores among the judges for 2024. This was the first year that Eastgate - which is in East Helena - submitted its water sample.
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"Oh yeah that's why I entered it," explained Nick Clos, operator for Eastgate Water and Sewer Association. "I lived here for 20 years and I never had a problem with it. I liked it so I said 'What the heck why not enter it.'"
Water is vital to the health of any community.
According to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, around 86% of Montanans get their water from public water systems. These public water systems and their waterworks operators are the first line of defense against contaminants getting into the water supplies and threatening public health.
This well water fills the cups, pots, tubs, and washers of over 600 homes in the Eastgate community near East Helena.
Anna Miller works for the DNRC and was one of the judges at the conference. She says that those who help provide quality water to communities throughout the state work hard to do so and that this competition is a fun way to celebrate that work.
“These folks come together, and they work very hard to make sure that the water is safe, and they have good quality and quantity of water as their needs provide. And it's just one of those little extra things as they work hard to kind of celebrate the good things that they do,” says Miller.
Next up, Eastgate’s water will go up against other competing states in a national competition for the best rural water in the U.S.
