The Central Montana Regional Water Authority (CMRWA) began work with the Bureau of Reclamation in 2004 to build the Musselshell-Judith Rural Water System (MJRWS) in Central Montana; as much of the area obtains its water from an abandoned coal mine and the water is nearly undrinkable. After years of permitting and planning processes, Reclamation deemed the MJRWS fully feasible in 2016 but refused to recommend it for Congressional authorization of construction. Bighorn worked with the Montana Congressional Delegation and led the Congressional strategy in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to move legislation forward to federally authorize the Water System and now secure funding for construction. To date, over $68 million in federal appropriations, including Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds, have been awarded and Montanans in Hobson recently celebrated the arrival of high-quality drinking water from the aquifer groundwater.
