U.S. Senator Jon Tester recently delivered a $2.5 million investment to protect clean water in Big Sky Country.

Sanders County will receive $200,000 as part of that funding for rural communities in Montana.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester secured the grants from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help rural communities generate clean drinking water and manage wastewater systems.

“Access to safe and clean drinking water is a necessity whether you’re running a business, farming or raising kids,” said Tester.

“These investments in Montana’s water systems are investments that will boost our economy and keep our communities strong,” he continued.

Tester is said to have been relentless in his effort to complete local water projects and bring clean water to every Montana community according to a recent press release.

Tester also being the only member of the Montana delegation to vote in favor of the funding; this comes shortly after Tester secured funding for rural water projects in the bipartisan budget bill that President Trump signed in March.

Tester also authored the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act, which allocates $80 million annually for the next 20 years to complete the construction of Montana’s rural water projects.

The funding for Tester’s bill will not come from taxpayers, but from the Bureau of Reclamation Fund that uses receipts from onshore oil and gas development and other federal revenue to fund infrastructure projects.