As the water system operator for three Canyon communities, Ben Shafer is used to his phone ringing. He’ll often get 20 calls a day, from people inquiring about their bill to whether he’s shut off their water.

The shut off question this time of year is an ominous one for the customer. Because almost all of the time he hasn’t shut off their water, instead, their pipes are frozen. 

The busy days don’t come during the freeze, he said. It comes when the weather warms back up and those frozen pipes begin to leak. 

Shafer is the “water man” for Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram. All told he takes care of more than 700 customers and three different water systems. He recently oversaw the installation of a new water tower in Coram and for those efforts, was named the Montana Rural Water System Operator of the Year for 2024. 

He grew up in Hungry Horse and his son, Sage, is fifth generation. His grandparents, Irene and Vaughn Shafer ran the Hungry Horse Corral gift shop in town for decades. Today, Shafer owns the copyright to the iconic horse, which was originally  crafted decades ago by sculptor Morris Blake. The Shafer family acquired the rights to the design and have owned it ever since. Proceeds from sales go to support the local fire department. 

Irene Shafer was on the Hungry Horse water board for years and the small water office in Hungry Horse is named after her. Ben Shafer came to be water operator after being asked by the water board several years ago. He had a good job at Semitool (now Applied Materials) at the time. 

“It was a pretty big pay cut,” he said. “But there was no one else.” 

He also became the water operator for the other two communities to support himself and his family.  

“I have three employers,” he said. “Each town isn’t really full time.” 

There is a shortage of water operators in Montana. The job can be demanding and the work can come at all hours of the day. 

A water emergency in winter usually means finding the shut off, digging it out of ice and snow (plows typically bury them), then turning the valve, if it will budge. 

In the summer he’s busy putting in new lines. Last summer he put in 20 service lines alone as the Canyon, like the rest of the Flathead Valley, is seeing exponential growth. 

Water operators also make sure the system is running properly and the water is clean and safe to drink. Martin City, for example, will soon see its tank sealed. 

“I love this job,” Shafer said. “I have great interactions with the public.” 

All three communities rely on wells and have some of the best (and best tasting) water in the state. Coram’s water, for example, was named third best water in the state during a blind test at a water operators conference. 

“We have great groundwater here,” he said.