Living in Whitlash, MT: what to set up and who to call
Whitlash has no town government of its own, so Liberty County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary School District. Power in Whitlash comes from Marias River Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Whitlash, 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 Whitlash.
Power comes from Marias River Electric Coop
Marias River Electric Coop (Marias River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Whitlash.
Start or move service: mariasriverec.com · (406) 434-5575
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Hi-Line Colony water system
The Hi-Line Colony water system supplies Whitlash: 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 92 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–Jun 2026, 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. MT0005185.
1 home internet providers serve Whitlash
0% of 5 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 83% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Telephone | Fiber | 60% | 50/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Whitlash’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Whitlash.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Whitlash is in two districts that split the grades: Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary School District and Chester-Joplin-Inverness High 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
Whitlash is unincorporated, so Liberty County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Whitlash is in ZIP code 59545
ZIP codes where Whitlash residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Whitlash | ZIP’s residents in Whitlash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59545 | Whitlash, MT | 100% | 13% |
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 Whitlash
Who supplies Whitlash’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Hi-Line Colony water system (EPA ID MT0005185). 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–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Whitlash?
Marias River Electric Coop (Marias River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Whitlash?
Northern Telephone (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Whitlash?
59545. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Whitlash in?
Chester-Joplin-Inverness Elementary School District and Chester-Joplin-Inverness High School District.
How do I register to vote in Whitlash?
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 Liberty 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.