Montana State Prison’s drinking water has routinely tested positive for coliform, a bacteria found in fecal matter, and the facility has received numerous drinking water violations over the past three decades , according to the state’s Safe Drinking Water Information System.

Publicly available drinking water tests from the Department of Public Health and Human Service’s Environmental Lab show the prison’s aging and troubled system tested positive for coliform 11 times in 2025 and eight times in 2024.

Questions about water quality have come to the surface since a reported water pipe break at the prison 10 days ago that left inmates without consistent drinking water and in some cases not enough water, according to an inmate and family members.

But water quality at the prison appears

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