STEVENSVILLE – Water restrictions in Stevensville are expected to remain in place longer than first anticipated.
The restrictions went into place last week after a well pump failure but Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey says he now hopes to lift them by midweek.
But, with people continuing to water their lawns, they’ve had to crack down.
“We’ll shut the water off in the interest of public safety. We need that water to be saved for firefighting purposes in case a fire breaks out in the community,” Mayor Dewey said.
“And we certainly don’t want to put everyone else at risk for the sake of having green lawns, as much as we all appreciate that,” he added.
Mayor Dewey said most of the complaints they’ve received are about lawn care, and they have shut some peoples’ water off.
Anyone’s water that gets shut off will have to pay a $50 fee to have it reconnected.
The town has five wells, but only two are currently operating and workers are replacing the pumps that failed.
The replacements were ordered from Colorado and were picked up in Spokane on Monday.
Town workers replaced one pump that turned out to be defective last week.
“It’s certainly an unprecedented event. We hope it never happens again, but again we’re working hard to get those resolved,” Mayor Dewey told MTN News.
He said about 2,000 people are on the city’s water system and once the last pump is replaced, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality will test the water before the restrictions can be lifted.
The Stevensville Pool is offering free entry to those impacted by the water restrictions on Monday and Tuesday.
You must show proof of residency — by providing any utility bill or other documentation — that shows you currently reside in city limits or have city water services.
