BUTTE — A water contamination incident that prompted emergency orders for some Butte residents last summer has been officially resolved through a consent agreement between state regulators and Montana Resources.
According to a release, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality announced Friday it signed an administrative consent order with Montana Resources to close the books on a water backflow incident that occurred on Aug. 13.
RELATED: Butte water contamination update (Aug. 14, 2025)
The incident prompted state officials to work with Butte-Silver Bow County to issue a do-not-consume order for some municipal residents while water quality testing was performed to determine if the city's water supply had been contaminated.
Tests confirmed the incident did not contaminate the city's water supply.
The do not consume order was downgraded to a health advisory for a more limited area on Aug. 18. The health advisory was completely removed on Aug. 25.
RELATED: Butte residents advised not to drink tap water due to possible contamination, free bottled water available (Aug. 14, 2025)
As part of the resolution, Montana Resources voluntarily paid $1.2 million to Butte-Silver Bow to enhance backflow prevention within the city's public water system.
The consent order also requires Montana Resources to take additional steps to obtain state approval for a potable water system on the mine property.
The Department of Environmental Quality says the consent order effectively concludes its enforcement investigation into the incident.
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