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Community Water System · PWS MT0000251

Hot Springs Municipal Water

Hot Springs, Montana 59845 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 600 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

600
People served
118
EPA violations
7
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 118 drinking-water violations at Hot Springs Municipal Water, 6% of them health-based - below the Montana per-system average.

118
Total EPA violations on record
6%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
600
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Hot Springs Municipal Water

Hot Springs Municipal Water is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 600 residents in Hot Springs, Montana (Sanders County) through 408 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 118 total violations for this system , of which 7 (6%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 106 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 Nitrate-Nitrite, recorded in 15 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%).

Hot Springs Municipal Water's 118 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
600
Total Violations
118
Health-Based Violations
7
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
408
County
Sanders
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
7
Monitoring Violations
106
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 15 2018
Coliform (TCR) MR 10 2015
Coliform (TCR) MCL 7 2005
Dalapon MR 6 2005
2,4,5-TP MR 6 2005
Dinoseb MR 6 2005
Pentachlorophenol MR 6 2005
2,4-D MR 6 2005
Picloram MR 6 2005
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2025
Barium MR 4 2002
Cadmium MR 4 2002
Fluoride MR 4 2002
Selenium MR 4 2002
Chromium MR 4 2002
Mercury MR 4 2002
Nickel MR 3 2002
Antimony, Total MR 3 2002
Thallium, Total MR 3 2002
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 2023
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 2023
Beryllium, Total MR 3 2002
Nitrate MR 2 1994
Arsenic MR 1 1981

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 Hot Springs Municipal Water.

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 MT0000251 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 5 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 7000
2023 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 4010
2023 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 4000
2018 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 15 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 1038
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 10 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 3100
2005 Coliform (TCR) MCL 7 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 3100
2005 Dalapon MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 2031
2005 2,4,5-TP MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 2110
2005 Dinoseb MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 2041
2005 Pentachlorophenol MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 2326
2005 2,4-D MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 2105
2005 Picloram MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 2040
2002 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 1010
2002 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 1015
2002 Fluoride MR 4 SDWIS / MT0000251 / 1025

How Hot Springs Municipal Water Compares

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

Metric Hot Springs Municipal Water Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 118 131.4 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 600 492 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 Hot Springs Municipal Water water safe to drink? ▼
Hot Springs Municipal Water (PWS ID: MT0000251) has 118 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 600 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Hot Springs Municipal Water serve? ▼
Hot Springs Municipal Water serves 600 people in Hot Springs, Montana. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 408 service connections.
What type of violations does Hot Springs Municipal Water have? ▼
Hot Springs Municipal Water has 118 total violations: 7 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 106 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Hot Springs Municipal Water water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Hot Springs Municipal Water under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Hot Springs Municipal Water use? ▼
Hot Springs Municipal Water 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.