Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Sentinel Butte, ND: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in most of Sentinel Butte comes from the City of Sentinel Butte water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. For an emergency, Glendive Medical Center is the closest ER, 42.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Sentinel Butte, 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 Sentinel Butte.
Power comes from Montana-Dakota Utilities
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Montana-Dakota Utilities Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Sentinel Butte. Its homes paid an average of 11.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $92 a month (its average across North Dakota).
Start or move service: montana-dakota.com · (800) 638-3278
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Sentinel Butte water system
The City of Sentinel Butte water system supplies Sentinel Butte: about 52% of residents live in its service area. About 48% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Southwest Water Authority as seller) and serves 56 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 2023–Dec 2025, 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. ND1700870.
2 home internet providers serve Sentinel Butte
100% of 44 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reservation Telephone Cooperative | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 80% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Sentinel Butte’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Sentinel Butte.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Sentinel Butte is in Beach Public School District 3.
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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2015; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Jul 30, 2024.
Sentinel Butte is in ZIP code 58654
ZIP codes where Sentinel Butte residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Sentinel Butte | ZIP’s residents in Sentinel Butte |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58654 | Sentinel Butte, ND | 100% | 20% |
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 Sentinel Butte
Who supplies Sentinel Butte’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Sentinel Butte water system (EPA ID ND1700870). 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 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Sentinel Butte?
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Montana-Dakota Utilities Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Sentinel Butte?
Reservation Telephone Cooperative, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Sentinel Butte?
58654. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Sentinel Butte in?
Beach Public School District 3.
How do I register to vote in Sentinel Butte?
North Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls. Elections here are run by the Golden Valley County Auditor. Check your registration at vip.sos.nd.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 Jul 30, 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.