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Community Water System · PWS MT0000007

South Chester Water Dist

Chester, Montana 59522 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 55 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

55
People served
190
EPA violations
10
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 190 drinking-water violations at South Chester Water Dist, 5% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

190
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
55
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: South Chester Water Dist

South Chester Water Dist is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 55 residents in Chester, Montana (Liberty County) through 26 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 190 total violations for this system , of which 10 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 174 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is TTHM, recorded in 7 violations (MR). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Montana, EPA tracks 2,263 public water systems serving 1,112,267 people, with 297,270 cumulative violations and 25,922 health-based violations on record. About 95% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 131.4 violations. Statewide, 5 of 45 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (11.1%).

South Chester Water Dist's 190 violations sit above the Montana average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
55
Total Violations
190
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
26
County
Liberty
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
174
Treatment Tech Violations
5

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
TTHM MR 7 2011
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 7 2011
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 5 2025
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 5 2009
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 1999
Endrin MR 4 1999
BHC-GAMMA MR 4 1999
Diquat MR 4 1999
Endothall MR 4 1999
Glyphosate MR 4 1999
OXAMYL MR 4 1999
Simazine MR 4 1999
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 4 1999
Dinoseb MR 4 1999
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 4 1999
Aldicarb MR 4 1999
2,3,7,8-TCDD MR 4 1999
Heptachlor MR 4 1999
2,4-D MR 4 1999
2,4,5-TP MR 4 1999
Pentachlorophenol MR 4 1999
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 4 1999
Chlordane MR 4 1999
Antimony, Total MR 4 1999
Thallium, Total MR 4 1999
Arsenic MR 4 1999
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 1999
Aldicarb sulfone MR 4 1999
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 4 1999
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 4 1999

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for South Chester Water Dist.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID MT0000007 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Montana Drinking Water Authority

Montana's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find MT regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2025 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 5 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2456
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 7000
2011 TTHM MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2950
2011 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2456
2011 Asbestos MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 1094
2009 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 5 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 0200
2000 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 1038
1999 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 3100
1999 Endrin MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2005
1999 BHC-GAMMA MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2010
1999 Diquat MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2032
1999 Endothall MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2033
1999 Glyphosate MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2034
1999 OXAMYL MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2036
1999 Simazine MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000007 / 2037

How South Chester Water Dist Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric South Chester Water Dist Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 190 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 11.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 11.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 55 492 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 2,263 regulated public water systems in Montana.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is South Chester Water Dist water safe to drink? ▼
South Chester Water Dist (PWS ID: MT0000007) has 190 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 55 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does South Chester Water Dist serve? ▼
South Chester Water Dist serves 55 people in Chester, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 26 service connections.
What type of violations does South Chester Water Dist have? ▼
South Chester Water Dist has 190 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 174 monitoring/reporting violations, and 5 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in South Chester Water Dist water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for South Chester Water Dist under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does South Chester Water Dist use? ▼
South Chester Water Dist uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.