Water woes for Florence neighborhood expected to end soon

FLORENCE, Mont. — Residents in a Florence neighborhood have been without water for days.

“Literally all we get is like droplets,” said Florence resident Christohper Robinson.

We’re told 29 homes in the Forest View area of Florence have been without water since May 30. The homes all own and operate a private well together. It’s not monitored by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

“It was fine at first, but then you kind of realize how much you use water every day — dishes and laundry and showers,” Robinson said.

According to Robinson, neighbors were told the water would be back by Monday. It’s been a series of errors that’s delayed the return of water.

According to the secretary for the homeowner’s water board, the pump went out and the computer that syncs the submersible malfunctioned.

“We are so used to these kinds of things that are just, you turn on the spigot and the water comes out, and when that goes south on you, it can be really disconcerting,” said Forest View homeowners association water board secretary Dave Blackwell.

Blackwell told NBC Montana work will continue and the water will return Wednesday. He said crews worked Friday, Sunday and Monday to bring water back.

Blackwell said they have an older system and aging infrastructure, but the piece that broke on the pump was about 5 years old.

“You know, sometimes these things just happen,” Blackwell said. “The only difference here, for us, is instead of it being a single homeowner who’s got a well for their own personal home, it’s 29 of us who own the same well, and we’re all on the, you know, all trying to get it fixed.”