Living in Muddy, MT: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2026 is still open for Lame Deer Water System, which supplies Muddy. Muddy has no town government of its own, so Big Horn County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Lame Deer High School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Muddy, 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 Muddy.
Power comes from Tongue River Electric Coop
Tongue River Electric Coop (Tongue River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Muddy.
Start or move service: tongueriverelectric.com · (406) 784-2341
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Lame Deer Water System
Lame Deer Water System supplies Muddy: about 54% of residents live in its service area. About 46% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 2,605 people in all.
2 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule) ×2, the latest beginning May 2026. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 12.0 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. 083090064.
Which providers serve Muddy
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Muddy, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.
Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.
We don’t have Muddy’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Muddy.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Muddy is in two districts that split the grades: Lame Deer High School District and Hardin Elementary School District.
Test scores and every school: see 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
Muddy is unincorporated, so Big Horn County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Muddy is in ZIP code 59043
ZIP codes where Muddy residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Muddy | ZIP’s residents in Muddy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59043 | Lame Deer, MT | 100% | 22% |
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 Muddy
Who supplies Muddy’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Lame Deer Water System (EPA ID 083090064). It reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule) ×2. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Muddy?
Tongue River Electric Coop (Tongue River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility.
What ZIP codes are in Muddy?
59043. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Muddy in?
Lame Deer High School District and Hardin Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Muddy?
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 Big Horn 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): pending.