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Community Water System · PWS MT0000184

Flathead County Water Dist 101

Columbia Falls, Montana 59912 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 210 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

210
People served
712
EPA violations
49
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 712 drinking-water violations at Flathead County Water Dist 101, 7% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

712
Total EPA violations on record
7%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
210
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Flathead County Water Dist 101

Flathead County Water Dist 101 is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 210 residents in Columbia Falls, Montana (Flathead County) through 96 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 712 total violations for this system , of which 49 (7%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 568 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 194 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%).

Flathead County Water Dist 101's 712 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
210
Total Violations
712
Health-Based Violations
49
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
96
County
Flathead
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
41
Monitoring Violations
568
Treatment Tech Violations
8

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 194 2016
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 95 2023
Coliform (TCR) MCL 41 2015
Lead and Copper Rule MR 36 2024
Nitrate MR 20 1999
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 19 2015
E. COLI MR 13 2015
Dalapon MR 11 2011
Picloram MR 11 2011
Dinoseb MR 11 2011
2,4,5-TP MR 11 2011
Pentachlorophenol MR 11 2011
2,4-D MR 9 2011
Endrin MR 8 1999
Methoxychlor MR 8 1999
Toxaphene MR 8 1999
Endothall MR 8 1999
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 8 1999
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 8 1999
Aldicarb sulfoxide MR 8 1999
Aldicarb MR 8 1999
Atrazine MR 8 1999
2,3,7,8-TCDD MR 8 1999
Heptachlor MR 8 1999
Heptachlor epoxide MR 8 1999
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 8 1999
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 8 1999
Diquat MR 8 1999
OXAMYL MR 8 1999
Simazine MR 8 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 Flathead County Water Dist 101.

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 MT0000184 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
2024 Lead and Copper Rule MR 36 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 5000
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 95 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 7000
2016 Coliform (TCR) MR 194 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 3100
2015 Coliform (TCR) MCL 41 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 3100
2015 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 19 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 1038
2015 E. COLI MR 13 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 3014
2011 Dalapon MR 11 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 2031
2011 Picloram MR 11 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 2040
2011 Dinoseb MR 11 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 2041
2011 2,4,5-TP MR 11 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 2110
2011 Pentachlorophenol MR 11 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 2326
2011 2,4-D MR 9 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 2105
2011 Groundwater Rule TT 8 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 0700
2011 Asbestos MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 1094
2008 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000184 / 4000

How Flathead County Water Dist 101 Compares

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

Metric Flathead County Water Dist 101 Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 712 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 49 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 210 492 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 Flathead County Water Dist 101 water safe to drink? ▼
Flathead County Water Dist 101 (PWS ID: MT0000184) has 712 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 210 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Flathead County Water Dist 101 serve? ▼
Flathead County Water Dist 101 serves 210 people in Columbia Falls, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 96 service connections.
What type of violations does Flathead County Water Dist 101 have? ▼
Flathead County Water Dist 101 has 712 total violations: 49 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 568 monitoring/reporting violations, and 8 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Flathead County Water Dist 101 water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Flathead County Water Dist 101 under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Flathead County Water Dist 101 use? ▼
Flathead County Water Dist 101 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.