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Community Water System · PWS MT0000250

Hinsdale Water Department

Hinsdale, Montana 59241 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 250 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

250
People served
116
EPA violations
27
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 116 drinking-water violations at Hinsdale Water Department, 23% of them health-based - below the Montana per-system average.

116
Total EPA violations on record
23%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
250
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Hinsdale Water Department

Hinsdale Water Department is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 250 residents in Hinsdale, Montana (Valley County) through 137 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 116 total violations for this system , of which 27 (23%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 69 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 Coliform (TCR), recorded in 22 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%).

Hinsdale Water Department's 116 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
250
Total Violations
116
Health-Based Violations
27
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
137
County
Valley
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
22
Monitoring Violations
69
Treatment Tech Violations
5

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 22 2015
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 19 2025
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 10 2017
E. COLI MR 9 2019
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 9 2025
Coliform (TCR) MR 8 2005
Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 2015
Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 5 2025
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 5 2005
TTHM MR 5 2005
Arsenic MR 3 2002
Beryllium, Total MR 3 2002
Thallium, Total MR 3 2002
Nickel MR 3 2002
Antimony, Total MR 3 2002
Nitrate 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 Hinsdale Water Department.

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 MT0000250 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 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 19 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 7000
2025 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 9 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 8000
2025 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 5 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 8000
2019 E. COLI MR 9 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 3014
2017 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 10 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 1038
2015 Coliform (TCR) MCL 22 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 3100
2015 Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 5000
2005 Coliform (TCR) MR 8 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 3100
2005 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 5 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 2456
2005 TTHM MR 5 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 2950
2002 Arsenic MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 1005
2002 Beryllium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 1075
2002 Thallium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 1085
2002 Nickel MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 1036
2002 Antimony, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000250 / 1074

How Hinsdale Water Department Compares

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

Metric Hinsdale Water Department Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 116 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 27 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 250 492 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 Hinsdale Water Department water safe to drink? ▼
Hinsdale Water Department (PWS ID: MT0000250) has 116 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 250 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Hinsdale Water Department serve? ▼
Hinsdale Water Department serves 250 people in Hinsdale, Montana. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 137 service connections.
What type of violations does Hinsdale Water Department have? ▼
Hinsdale Water Department has 116 total violations: 27 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 69 monitoring/reporting violations, and 5 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Hinsdale Water Department water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Hinsdale Water Department under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Hinsdale Water Department use? ▼
Hinsdale Water Department 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.