Utilities

Electricity and natural gas incentive rates are available for new business ventures and for business retention.

Electricity

The county is served by two suppliers:

• Northwestern Energy has a system capacity of 1,596,000 KW and a system peak demand of 1,504,000 KW
• Vigilante Electric Co-op New Substation (Bonneville Power Administration) has a KW capacity of 30,000 KW and a peak demand of 5,000 KW.

Natural Gas

• Natural gas service is provided by Northwestern Energy at 1,000 BTU per cubic foot. The Company's pipelines are opened to transportation of natural gas from other suppliers to major industrial customers and utility distributors.

Sanitation

• The type of sewage treatment plant is activated sludge, with a capacity of 8.5 million gallons/day. Present load is 5 million gallons/day. A sewer use charge is in effect.
• Class 2 municiple solid waste landfill

Water

• Water is supplied by privately owned Silver Bow Water Company but is operated and maintained by the local government. Water sources include reservoirs and rivers. Average consumption is 8 million gallons/day in the winter and 10-12 million gallons/day in the summer. Peak consumption is in the summer months at 21-23 million gallons/day. Storage capacity is 613 million gallons. Water is treated and has a hardness that ranges from 0-85.5 mg/liter, which is considered relatively soft. Water temperatures range from 32 to 62 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Privately owned Silver Lake System, industrial water rights: approximately 18 million gallons/day capacity; approximately 7 million gallons/day currently utilized.