Data center or not, Silver Lake water system a gem for Butte-Silver Bow County
Butte-Silver Bow County officials are reassuring the public that the Silver Lake water system has ample capacity for both residents and industrial users, including a proposed Sabey data center. Despite concerns raised by citizens and watchdog groups about the data center's potential water consumption, the county's water treatment superintendent believes the supply is sufficient. The county maintains separate water systems for potable and industrial use.
Butte-Silver Bow County officials are reassuring the public about the region's robust water supply amidst concerns regarding the proposed Sabey data center's water consumption. Jim Keenan, Butte-Silver Bow's water treatment superintendent, emphasizes the ample capacity of the Silver Lake system, which serves industrial users, despite some citizens and watchdog groups expressing worry about the data center's potential impact on the finite resource.
Keenan, with 16 years of experience, states that the industrial water system, which Butte-Silver Bow has owned since the late-1990s, is significantly under-utilized. Public Works Director Mark Neary described the Silver Lake system as a "diamond in the rough" for industrial users. The county manages separate water systems for drinking water (from Basin Creek, Moulton Reservoir, and Big Hole River) and untreated industrial water.
The Silver Lake system, originally developed for mining operations in the 1890s and expanded by Anaconda Co. in 1918, can provide up to 60 million gallons of water a day. Officials toured the system to highlight its capacity, asserting that Sabey's estimated usage would not strain the supply. The article also briefly mentions a past class-action lawsuit against Butte Water Co. in 1990 regarding the system's disrepair.