Governor Gianforte, DEQ Celebrate Belt Water Treatment Plant Opening

BELT, Mont. – Joining the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Governor Greg Gianforte recently celebrated the completion of a $13 million water treatment plant in Belt.

“The residents of Belt have lived with acid mine drainage and the contamination of Belt Creek for over 100 years,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Active treatment of mine impacted water has proven to be successful in Montana and across the country. After decades of hard work and dedication by our state and community partners, we’re bringing that same reality to Belt.”

In the late 1800’s, several coal mines operated around Belt. Specifically, coal production from the Anaconda Belt Mine peaked in the 1890s before coal production from the mine slowed and the mine closed in 1924.

The water treatment plant was constructed on abandoned mine land as the landmark initiative for the DEQ Montana Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Program. The AML Program is responsible for the monitoring and reclamation of Montana’s abandoned coal and hard rock mines to bring land back to life. AML staff administer abandoned mine reclamation projects that are funded by federal grants derived from a fee on coal.

In 2019, DEQ received federal approval for the project and construction began in 2023 to address the environmental challenges. For over a century, abandoned coal mines in Belt discharged dissolved metals into Belt Creek. According to DEQ, on an average day, the abandoned coal mines in Belt discharged over two hundred thousand gallons of water which contained over 800 pounds of iron, aluminum, and other dissolved metals.

“I am incredibly proud of the work done by our team to make this project a reality,” DEQ Director Sonja Nowakowski said. “This is the first public facility project that the Abandoned Minelands Program has constructed, so it is truly unique, and it would not have been possible without tremendous dedication and collaboration.”

“The AML Program is critical in reclaiming and restoring Montana’s natural resources, helping communities recover from the environmental impacts of historic mining,” said AML Section Supervisor, Jorri Dyer. “The Belt Water Treatment Plant is a powerful example of our mission, delivering clean water, restoring Belt Creek, and providing sustainable operations for the Belt community.”

The acid mine water that historically impacts Belt Creek has very low pH and is high in dissolved metals. The new water treatment facility will remove metals from the water and discharge pH neutral water to Belt Creek. Lime is added to the water during the treatment process to raise the pH and help the metals form into a solid, for removal and disposal.

During the visit, the governor and DEQ recognized and thanked several community partners for their work with the project including Cascade County, the City of Belt, and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.