Living in Shawmut, MT: what to set up and who to call
Shawmut has no town government of its own, so Wheatland County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Harlowton K-12 Schools. Power in Shawmut comes from Fergus Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Shawmut, 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 Shawmut.
Power comes from Fergus Electric Coop
Fergus Electric Coop (Fergus Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Shawmut. Its homes paid an average of 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $143 a month (its average across Montana).
Start or move service: www.ferguselectric.coop · (406) 538-3465
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Springwater Colony
Springwater Colony supplies Shawmut: about 31% of residents live in its service area. About 69% 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 100 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 55% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MT0000719.
2 home internet providers serve Shawmut
100% of 46 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle Communications | Fiber | 100% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 63% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Shawmut’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Shawmut.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Shawmut is in Harlowton K-12 Schools.
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
Shawmut is unincorporated, so Wheatland County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Shawmut is in ZIP code 59078
ZIP codes where Shawmut residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Shawmut | ZIP’s residents in Shawmut |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59078 | Shawmut, MT | 100% | 33% |
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 Shawmut
Who supplies Shawmut’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Springwater Colony (EPA ID MT0000719). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Shawmut?
Fergus Electric Coop (Fergus Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Shawmut?
Triangle Communications, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Shawmut?
59078. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Shawmut in?
Harlowton K-12 Schools.
How do I register to vote in Shawmut?
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 Wheatland 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.