A chance for Senator Tester to be a real hero to the people of Missoula Valley.

This is a very shallow aquifer and should be protected. I hope there is no fracking in the region to effect it.

Senator John Tester a true friend of sportsmen everywhere, a real live farmer, and in need of a new coat.

The Missoula Valley Aquifer (click here) is the sole source of water for residents in the Missoula Valley. It's a huge underground source of water. It's so big that more than 40,000 households depend on it for water every day. This underground treasure we call the Missoula Valley Aquifer is just below the ground surface. Run your finger along a map starting at Milltown all the way to Frenchtown and up to Lolo. The Missoula Valley Aquifer is just below this entire area---10-to-100 feet below the ground surface. It is considered one of the purest natural sources of water in America....

...Today the aquifer (click here) is the sole source of water for residents in the Missoula Valley. More than 40,000 households depend on it for water every day. Running from Milltown all the way to Frenchtown and up to Lolo, it’s a seemingly endless source of clean, fresh water. Every year rainfall and snowmelt flowing out of the Clark Fork River (the name Clark Fork River was given by Lewis and Clark) and local streams seep down through glacial deposits and recharge this vast underground water source. This natural storage tank contains billions of gallons of fresh water but it’s all just below the ground surface – so close that in some places it’s no deeper than 40 feet below the surface....

The people of Senator Tester's state wants to purchase their own water supply from the current owner, The Carlyle Group. I thought if nothing else he could try to help obtain the best and fair price. It is a "Publics Works" project. To own, manage, oversee and operate their own water source.
 

October 23, 2013 6:00 am

By Keila Szpaller

The city of Missoula’s quest (click here) to acquire Mountain Water Co. is a formidable undertaking, and Mayor John Engen has formed a powerful team of advisers for the job.

The cost of the consulting and underwriting is estimated to reach roughly $4 million if a purchase deal goes through, and those fees will be included in the total bill, Engen said. He admitted he initially blanched at the figure.

“I will tell you, when I first heard it, I thought oi yoi yoi, but I did a little research, and it’s very typical of a deal of this size,” Engen said Tuesday.

This week, the Missoula City Council approved an ordinance that gives the mayor the authority to begin negotiating with the Carlyle Group for the purchase of Mountain Water....

Water, according to the USA military, is a premium today and in the future especially with the current Climate Crisis. I would think there could be federal monies available to help with such a worthy citizens' project. It is a regional security issue that may even fall under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security.

October 26, 2013 9:30 pm 
By Keila Szpaller

Let’s say the city of Missoula (click here) can only afford to buy Mountain Water Co. if it increases rates.

At that point, Mayor John Engen has said he will alert the Missoula City Council. That’s because he would like to keep water rates at their current levels for the time being, and he doesn’t want to raise rates to pay for the company that provides most Missoula residents with their drinking water.

Last week, the Missoula City Council gave Engen the green light to bring a purchase deal back to the body for consideration. Some of the negotiations will take place behind closed doors, but Engen will report back to the council at several checkpoints while negotiating the estimated $50 million to $70 million deal with the Carlyle Group....