Letter to the People of Glasgow

Letter to the People of Glasgow

The Flint Michigan water crisis sprang from government officials’ decision in April 2014, to switch the city’s water source temporality and use water from the Flint River (once an industrial dump site) as a cost-cutting measure.

Flint regulators failed to ensure the water was treated properly and lead from aging pipes leached into the water supply.

I would like to assure our water users that the city of Glasgow Water Department routinely monitors the quality of the city’s drinking water according to Federal and State laws under the oversight of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The goals being to protect, maintain and improve the quality and potability of water for public water supplies and domestic use.

MDEQ, along with Environmental Protection Agency regulate a testing schedule that the City Water Department is responsible for implementing at the prescribed frequency. The city is required to take many samples (from different areas in the system) and test for numerous parameters and potential contaminants listed in the city’s monitoring schedule. Some of the parameters and contaminates that are tested and monitored include arsenic, lead, copper, nitrates, radioactive contaminants, asbestos, coliform and fluoride. Some of these parameters are sampled on a daily basis and others on a monthly basis, while a select few are only sampled yearly. This monitoring schedule is generated on State and Federal regulations.

Weekly sampling is submitted to a state-approved independent third party, testing lab and the results are then submitted to MDEQ. Each year the city produces an “Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.” This report is submitted to MDEQ as well as published in The Glasgow Courier for all consumers of Glasgow drinking water to review.

Our dedicated Glasgow Water Department employees will continue to provide, protect, maintain and improve the quality and potability of Glasgow’s water supply. Keeping Glasgow’s drinking water safe is and will always be our number one priority.