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Community Water System · PWS MT0000261

Flathead Co Water District No 8

Columbia Falls, Montana 59912 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 475 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

475
People served
558
EPA violations
18
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 558 drinking-water violations at Flathead Co Water District No 8, 3% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

558
Total EPA violations on record
3%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
475
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Flathead Co Water District No 8

Flathead Co Water District No 8 is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 475 residents in Columbia Falls, Montana (Flathead County) through 200 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 558 total violations for this system , of which 18 (3%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 536 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2013.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 18 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%).

Flathead Co Water District No 8's 558 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
475
Total Violations
558
Health-Based Violations
18
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
200
County
Flathead
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
18
Monitoring Violations
536
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 18 2011
Picloram MR 14 2013
OXAMYL MR 14 2013
Dinoseb MR 14 2013
Pentachlorophenol MR 14 2013
Heptachlor epoxide MR 14 2013
Heptachlor MR 14 2013
Carbofuran MR 14 2013
Aldicarb MR 14 2013
2,4,5-TP MR 14 2013
2,4-D MR 14 2013
Toxaphene MR 14 2013
BHC-GAMMA MR 14 2013
Methoxychlor MR 14 2013
Endrin MR 14 2013
Dalapon MR 14 2013
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 14 2013
Simazine MR 14 2013
Aldicarb sulfoxide MR 14 2013
Aldicarb sulfone MR 14 2013
Atrazine MR 14 2013
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 14 2013
Chlordane MR 14 2013
LASSO MR 14 2013
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 13 2013
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 13 2013
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 13 2013
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 13 2013
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 2005
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 10 2012

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 Co Water District No 8.

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 MT0000261 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
2013 Picloram MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2040
2013 OXAMYL MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2036
2013 Dinoseb MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2041
2013 Pentachlorophenol MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2326
2013 Heptachlor epoxide MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2067
2013 Heptachlor MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2065
2013 Carbofuran MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2046
2013 Aldicarb MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2047
2013 2,4,5-TP MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2110
2013 2,4-D MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2105
2013 Toxaphene MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2020
2013 BHC-GAMMA MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2010
2013 Methoxychlor MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2015
2013 Endrin MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2005
2013 Dalapon MR 14 SDWIS / MT0000261 / 2031

How Flathead Co Water District No 8 Compares

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

Metric Flathead Co Water District No 8 Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 558 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 18 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 475 492 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 Co Water District No 8 water safe to drink? ▼
Flathead Co Water District No 8 (PWS ID: MT0000261) has 558 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 475 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Flathead Co Water District No 8 serve? ▼
Flathead Co Water District No 8 serves 475 people in Columbia Falls, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 200 service connections.
What type of violations does Flathead Co Water District No 8 have? ▼
Flathead Co Water District No 8 has 558 total violations: 18 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 536 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Flathead Co Water District No 8 water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Flathead Co Water District No 8 under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Flathead Co Water District No 8 use? ▼
Flathead Co Water District No 8 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.