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Community Water System · PWS MT0000025

South Wind Water and Sewer District

Great Falls, Montana 59405 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 200 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

200
People served
356
EPA violations
54
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 356 drinking-water violations at South Wind Water and Sewer District, 15% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

356
Total EPA violations on record
15%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
200
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: South Wind Water and Sewer District

South Wind Water and Sewer District is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 200 residents in Great Falls, Montana (Cascade County) through 95 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 356 total violations for this system , of which 54 (15%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 286 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Arsenic, recorded in 38 violations (MCL, health-based). 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, 28 of 45 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (62.2%).

South Wind Water and Sewer District's 356 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
200
Total Violations
356
Health-Based Violations
54
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
95
County
Cascade
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
45
Monitoring Violations
286
Treatment Tech Violations
9

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Arsenic MCL 38 2016
Lead and Copper Rule MR 27 2022
Coliform (TCR) MR 18 2015
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 2022
Arsenic MR 15 2015
E. COLI MR 10 2011
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 7 2001
Coliform (TCR) MCL 7 2003
Thallium, Total MR 5 2011
Antimony, Total MR 5 2011
Nickel MR 5 2011
Groundwater Rule TT 5 2011
Beryllium, Total MR 5 2011
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 4 2014
Picloram MR 4 2014
OXAMYL MR 4 2014
Dinoseb MR 4 2014
Pentachlorophenol MR 4 2014
Heptachlor epoxide MR 4 2014
Carbofuran MR 4 2014
LASSO MR 4 2014
2,4,5-TP MR 4 2014
2,4-D MR 4 2014
Toxaphene MR 4 2014
BHC-GAMMA MR 4 2014
Endrin MR 4 2014
Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 2006
Barium MR 4 2011
Mercury MR 4 2011
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 2014

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 Wind Water and Sewer District.

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 MT0000025 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
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 27 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 5000
2022 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 7000
2017 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 4010
2017 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 4000
2016 Arsenic MCL 38 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 1005
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 3100
2015 Arsenic MR 15 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 1005
2014 Benzo(a)pyrene MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2306
2014 Picloram MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2040
2014 OXAMYL MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2036
2014 Dinoseb MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2041
2014 Pentachlorophenol MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2326
2014 Heptachlor epoxide MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2067
2014 Carbofuran MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2046
2014 LASSO MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000025 / 2051

How South Wind Water and Sewer District Compares

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

Metric South Wind Water and Sewer District Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 356 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 54 11.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 62.2% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 200 492 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 Wind Water and Sewer District water safe to drink? ▼
South Wind Water and Sewer District (PWS ID: MT0000025) has 356 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 200 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does South Wind Water and Sewer District serve? ▼
South Wind Water and Sewer District serves 200 people in Great Falls, Montana. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 95 service connections.
What type of violations does South Wind Water and Sewer District have? ▼
South Wind Water and Sewer District has 356 total violations: 54 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 286 monitoring/reporting violations, and 9 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in South Wind Water and Sewer District water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for South Wind Water and Sewer District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does South Wind Water and Sewer District use? ▼
South Wind Water and Sewer District uses Groundwater 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.