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Community Water System · PWS MT0000185

Columbus Town Of

Columbus, Montana 59019 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,900 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,900
People served
188
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 188 drinking-water violations at Columbus Town Of - above the Montana per-system average.

188
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,900
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Columbus Town Of

Columbus Town Of is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,900 residents in Columbus, Montana (Stillwater County) through 957 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 188 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 184 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 13 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%).

Columbus Town Of's 188 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
1,900
Total Violations
188
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
957
County
Stillwater
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
184
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 13 2009
Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 2009
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 7 2015
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2015
Xylenes, Total MR 7 2015
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 7 2015
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 2015
Vinyl chloride MR 7 2015
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2015
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 7 2015
Trichloroethylene MR 7 2015
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 7 2015
Tetrachloroethylene MR 7 2015
Toluene MR 7 2015
Ethylbenzene MR 7 2015
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 2015
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 2015
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 7 2015
Styrene MR 7 2015
Carbon tetrachloride MR 7 2015
CHLOROBENZENE MR 7 2015
Benzene MR 7 2015
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 7 2015
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2018
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 3 2008
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 2011
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 2011
Asbestos MR 3 2011
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2018

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 Columbus Town Of.

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 MT0000185 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
2018 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 8000
2018 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 7000
2015 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2378
2015 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2380
2015 Xylenes, Total MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2955
2015 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2964
2015 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2968
2015 Vinyl chloride MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2976
2015 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2977
2015 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2981
2015 Trichloroethylene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2984
2015 1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2985
2015 Tetrachloroethylene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2987
2015 Toluene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2991
2015 Ethylbenzene MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000185 / 2992

How Columbus Town Of Compares

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

Metric Columbus Town Of Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 188 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 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 1,900 492 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 Columbus Town Of water safe to drink? ▼
Columbus Town Of (PWS ID: MT0000185) has 188 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,900 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Columbus Town Of serve? ▼
Columbus Town Of serves 1,900 people in Columbus, Montana. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 957 service connections.
What type of violations does Columbus Town Of have? ▼
Columbus Town Of has 188 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 184 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Columbus Town Of water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Columbus Town Of under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Columbus Town Of use? ▼
Columbus Town Of 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.