Billings, Montana company, Formula Fusing joins in developing a better way to deliver water

In an arid climate, every drop counts.

That premise has prompted three companies to look beyond the oil field to rural water systems. Working in partnership, they have synchronized resources to "build" a better – and virtually leak-free – pipeline.

The technology isn’t the answer for every situation, admits Ed Walker, of Formula Fusing http://formulafusing.com/ , the lone Billings-based company of the three.

By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA
Of The Gazette Staff

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/04/19/news/business/18-billings.txt

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Mountain Water Co.: PSC losing patience with leaky system

By KEILA SZPALLER of the Missoulian

Montana Public Service Commission members, long grumbly about Mountain Water Co.’s http://www.mtnwater.com leaky pipes, appear poised to begin a call for fixes.

The Missoula company pumps a lot of water that never hits the tap. Some 40 percent of it either leaks or is considered “unaccounted for” by the privately held utility. The leaks have been worse, and they aren’t new, either.

“The commission has had a long history of being concerned with Mountain Water,” said Commissioner Ken Toole.
The state agency regulates the company – by far the largest water utility in Montana that’s not publicly owned. At a recent PSC hearing in Missoula, commissioners chastised company officials for throwing away some $500,000 a year pumping water that goes nowhere.

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/04/19/news/local/news03.txt