HELENA — An infrastructure project is underway in the south hills of Helena near the Rodney trails that looks to bring reliable water to thousands of residents for the foreseeable future.
The $14 million undertaking, named the West Main/Eureka to Hale Connector Project, was made possible by a $15 million Covid relief grant awarded to the city in 2021.
The funding is going toward replacing 130-year-old pipes that run from the West Main Well uphill to the 135-year-old Hale tank. The Hale tank holds 4 million gallons of drinking water for the South Hills and downtown residents and businesses.
"When I first started here, whatever, 15 years ago there was a lot of things that kept me up at night, when I learned about them, right?" says Helena city engineer, Jamie Clark. "Like what happens if this thing breaks? And I sort of just learned you chip away at the stone, and do what you can do and you leave work at work and go home and play. And so this was one of those things."
The project began in early fall of 2025 and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2026.
According to Clark, the work will provide reliability in water service for another 130 years.
