Charles A. Broadwater House · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Helena West Side, MT: what to set up and who to call
Helena Water System reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×3. 83% of systems its size reported none. Helena West Side has no town government of its own, so Lewis and Clark County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Helena High School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Helena West Side, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Helena West Side.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Helena West Side. Its homes paid an average of 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Montana, for customers on its standard service). Montana lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of NorthWestern Energy’s home customers do, and NorthWestern Energy still delivers it.
Start or move service: northwesternenergy.com · (888) 467-2669
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Helena Water System
Helena Water System supplies Helena West Side: about 72% of residents live in its service area. Mobile City Home Park No 2 serves another 10%. About 24% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 32,091 people in all.
3 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×3, the latest beginning Jan 2023. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 79% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MT0000241.
6 home internet providers serve Helena West Side
93% of 584 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 20% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 7% | 60/5 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 82% | 300/20 |
| The Montana Internet | Fixed wireless | 78% | 25/5 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 56% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 4% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 3 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Helena West Side.
Helena Solid Waste Department
This isn’t Helena West Side’s own facility. Whether Helena West Side residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Helena West Side is in two districts that split the grades: Helena High School District and Helena Elementary School District.
B+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Helena West Side is unincorporated, so Lewis and Clark County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Helena West Side spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Helena West Side residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Helena West Side | ZIP’s residents in Helena West Side |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59601 | Helena, MT | 60% | 3% |
| 59602 | Helena, MT | 38% | 2% |
| 59636 | Fort Harrison, MT | 3% | 100% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Helena West Side
Who supplies Helena West Side’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Helena Water System (EPA ID MT0000241). It reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×3. 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Helena West Side?
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Helena West Side?
Spectrum, CenturyLink, Verizon, The Montana Internet, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Helena West Side?
59601 (60%), 59602 (38%), 59636 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Helena West Side in?
Helena High School District and Helena Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Trinity Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Helena West Side?
Montana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Lewis and Clark County Election Administrator. Check your registration at prodvoterportal.mt.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.