DESIGNING FOR TODAY, ENGINEERING FOR GENERATIONS: ROCKY BOY PROJECTS 2025
Rocky Boy Reservation—Box Elder, Montana
For nearly a decade, Water & Environmental Technologies (WET) has partnered with the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation in northern Montana, providing engineering, environmental, and infrastructure planning services across multiple Chippewa Cree Tribal Departments. Our work has included designing wastewater lagoons, roads, and water storage tanks, as well as preparing successful grant applications, preliminary engineering reports, environmental assessments for NEPA, and training programs for Tribal staff. Projects have spanned essential community services and land development, including water, wastewater, solid waste, housing developments, roads, and cultural resource protection, which have been nearly entirely built using Tribal labor and equipment. These projects represent far more than technical achievements. They reflect enduring partnerships rooted in collaboration and an understanding of Tribal sovereignty and funding mechanisms.
Working with sovereign nations like the Rocky Boy’s Reservation requires a more profound understanding than traditional consulting. Tribes are not just stakeholders within standard state and federal systems; they are sovereign governments with their own priorities, procedures, and protocols. Successful projects must navigate a unique framework that includes Tribal law, federal funding programs, oversight by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal EPA oversight, and locally available labor and resources. Over time, WET has learned that each project, whether a lagoon cleanout, road repair, or subdivision design, is part of a larger effort to strengthen Tribal infrastructure and promote self-sufficiency. By collaborating with Tribal departments, WET has gained not only technical expertise but also a practical understanding of what it means to partner with a sovereign nation.
Work has carried on steadily through the summer of 2025 and will continue into the fall, with crews advancing the project as far as possible before the winter season brings construction to a pause.
September marked the start of the Newtown Sewer Main Extension project along Duck Creek Road, a vital infrastructure upgrade on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. Secured through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) competitive grant funding with the State of Montana, this project involved the installation of a complete sewer system with both gravity and mechanically pumped force mains to ensure reliable wastewater collection and conveyance for residents and Tribal facilities in the Agency community. Gravity mains utilize the natural slope of the land to move wastewater, while force mains depend on pumps and pressure to transport flow in areas where gravity alone isn’t enough—such as flat ground, steep terrain, or uphill sections. Construction is scheduled to continue through September, October, and November, progressing until the snow arrives. By investing in this crucial utility, made possible through ARPA support, the Chippewa Cree Tribe is bolstering long-term community health and environmental protection while setting the stage for future growth and development in the heart of the reservation.
