Ruling cites inadequate water-supply analysis, as delay costs state more than $8,000 a day
A Yellowstone County district judge has halted all construction, groundbreaking and permitting on Montana’s proposed forensic mental health facility in Laurel, a ruling that is now costing state taxpayers more than $8,000 a day as the project sits idle.
The state has already spent $4.25 million to purchase the land for the facility and holds plans, contractor agreements and material deliveries in limbo while the litigation plays out.
District Judge Ed Zink ruled Wednesday that the state had failed to adequately analyze the availability, capacity and supply of water for the facility, as well as the facility’s actual projected daily water demand.
Zink also sent the project’s final environmental assessment back to the state, ordering officials to further investigate the water-supply questions. That assessment is required under the Montana Environmental Policy Act before the state can proceed with construction of the forensic facility in Laurel.