Living in Surprise Creek Colony, MT: what to set up and who to call
Surprise Creek Colony has no town government of its own, so Judith Basin County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Geyser K-12 Schools. For an emergency, Central Montana Medical Center is the closest ER, 42.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Surprise Creek Colony, 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 Surprise Creek Colony.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Surprise Creek Colony. 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 Surprise Creek Colony water system
The Surprise Creek Colony water system supplies Surprise Creek Colony: about 0% of residents live in its service area. About 100% 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 80 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 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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. MT0000391.
1 home internet providers serve Surprise Creek Colony
100% of 1 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle Communications | Fiber | 100% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Surprise Creek Colony’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Surprise Creek Colony.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Surprise Creek Colony (62%) is in Geyser K-12 Schools; parts are in Stanford K-12 Schools (38%).
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
Surprise Creek Colony is unincorporated, so Judith Basin County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Nov 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Surprise Creek Colony is in ZIP code 59479
ZIP codes where Surprise Creek Colony residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Surprise Creek Colony | ZIP’s residents in Surprise Creek Colony |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59479 | Stanford, MT | 100% | 1% |
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 Surprise Creek Colony
Who supplies Surprise Creek Colony’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Surprise Creek Colony water system (EPA ID MT0000391). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Surprise Creek Colony?
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 Surprise Creek Colony?
Triangle Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Surprise Creek Colony?
59479. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Surprise Creek Colony in?
Geyser K-12 Schools. Parts of the city are in Stanford K-12 Schools.
How do I register to vote in Surprise Creek Colony?
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 Judith Basin 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.