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Community Water System · PWS MT0000196

East Helena City Of

East Helena, Montana 59635 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,114 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,114
People served
44
EPA violations
3
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 44 drinking-water violations at East Helena City Of, 7% of them health-based - below the Montana per-system average.

44
Total EPA violations on record
7%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,114
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: East Helena City Of

East Helena City Of is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,114 residents in East Helena, Montana (Lewis and Clark County) through 897 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 44 total violations for this system , of which 3 (7%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 27 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 Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 11 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%).

East Helena City Of's 44 violations sit below 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
2,114
Total Violations
44
Health-Based Violations
3
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
897
County
Lewis and Clark
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
27
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 11 2015
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 7 2021
Lead and Copper Rule TT 3 2022
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 2025
Nickel MR 1 1994
Fluoride MR 1 1994
Mercury MR 1 1994
Chromium MR 1 1994
Cadmium MR 1 1994
Barium MR 1 1994
Arsenic MR 1 1994
Antimony, Total MR 1 1994
Thallium, Total MR 1 1994
Selenium MR 1 1994
Nitrate MR 1 1993
Beryllium, Total MR 1 1994
CYANIDE MR 1 1994

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 East Helena City 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 MT0000196 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 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 8000
2022 Lead and Copper Rule TT 3 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 5000
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 7 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 7000
2015 Lead and Copper Rule MR 11 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 5000
1994 Nickel MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1036
1994 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1025
1994 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1035
1994 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1020
1994 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1015
1994 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1010
1994 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1005
1994 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1074
1994 Thallium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1085
1994 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1045
1994 Beryllium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / MT0000196 / 1075

How East Helena City Of Compares

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

Metric East Helena City Of Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 44 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 3 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 2,114 492 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 East Helena City Of water safe to drink? ▼
East Helena City Of (PWS ID: MT0000196) has 44 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,114 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does East Helena City Of serve? ▼
East Helena City Of serves 2,114 people in East Helena, Montana. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 897 service connections.
What type of violations does East Helena City Of have? ▼
East Helena City Of has 44 total violations: 3 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 27 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in East Helena City Of water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for East Helena City Of under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does East Helena City Of use? ▼
East Helena City 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.