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Community Water System · PWS MT0000060

Big Mountain Water Company

Whitefish, Montana 59937 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,435 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,435
People served
415
EPA violations
7
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 415 drinking-water violations at Big Mountain Water Company, 2% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

415
Total EPA violations on record
2%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,435
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Big Mountain Water Company

Big Mountain Water Company is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,435 residents in Whitefish, Montana (Flathead County) through 379 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 415 total violations for this system , of which 7 (2%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 405 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2014.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, recorded in 21 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, 28 of 45 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (62.2%).

Big Mountain Water Company's 415 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
2,435
Total Violations
415
Health-Based Violations
7
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
379
County
Flathead
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
7
Monitoring Violations
405
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 21 2009
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 18 2008
Xylenes, Total MR 18 2008
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 18 2008
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 18 2008
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 18 2008
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 18 2008
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 18 2008
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 18 2008
Carbon tetrachloride MR 18 2008
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 18 2008
Trichloroethylene MR 18 2008
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 18 2008
CHLOROBENZENE MR 18 2008
Toluene MR 18 2008
Tetrachloroethylene MR 18 2008
Ethylbenzene MR 18 2008
Styrene MR 18 2008
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 18 2008
Benzene MR 18 2008
Vinyl chloride MR 18 2008
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 2012
Coliform (TCR) MCL 7 2014
Asbestos MR 4 2011
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 2014
Lead and Copper Rule MR 3 2004
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 2014
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2006

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 Big Mountain Water Company.

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 MT0000060 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
2014 Coliform (TCR) MCL 7 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 3100
2014 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 4000
2014 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 4010
2012 Coliform (TCR) MR 11 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 3100
2011 Asbestos MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 1094
2009 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 21 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2981
2008 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2378
2008 Xylenes, Total MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2955
2008 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2964
2008 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2968
2008 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2969
2008 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2977
2008 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2979
2008 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2980
2008 Carbon tetrachloride MR 18 SDWIS / MT0000060 / 2982

How Big Mountain Water Company Compares

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

Metric Big Mountain Water Company Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 415 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 7 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 2,435 492 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 Big Mountain Water Company water safe to drink? ▼
Big Mountain Water Company (PWS ID: MT0000060) has 415 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,435 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Big Mountain Water Company serve? ▼
Big Mountain Water Company serves 2,435 people in Whitefish, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 379 service connections.
What type of violations does Big Mountain Water Company have? ▼
Big Mountain Water Company has 415 total violations: 7 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 405 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Big Mountain Water Company water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Big Mountain Water Company under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Big Mountain Water Company use? ▼
Big Mountain Water Company 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.