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Community Water System · PWS MT0000632

Elk Meadows Ranchettes

Huson, Montana 59846 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 175 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

175
People served
174
EPA violations
18
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 174 drinking-water violations at Elk Meadows Ranchettes, 10% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

174
Total EPA violations on record
10%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
175
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Elk Meadows Ranchettes

Elk Meadows Ranchettes is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 175 residents in Huson, Montana (Missoula County) through 66 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 174 total violations for this system , of which 18 (10%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 146 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2023.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 84 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%).

Elk Meadows Ranchettes's 174 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
175
Total Violations
174
Health-Based Violations
18
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
66
County
Missoula
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
12
Monitoring Violations
146
Treatment Tech Violations
6

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 84 2013
Groundwater Rule MR 30 2018
Coliform (TCR) MCL 12 2009
Coliform (TCR) MR 8 2011
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 6 2023
TTHM MR 6 2020
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 2020
Groundwater Rule TT 4 2016
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2017
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 3 2015
Chlorine MR 3 2016
Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 2008

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 Elk Meadows Ranchettes.

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 MT0000632 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
2023 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 6 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 8000
2020 TTHM MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 2950
2020 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 2456
2018 Groundwater Rule MR 30 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 0700
2017 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 7000
2016 Groundwater Rule TT 4 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 0700
2016 Chlorine MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 0999
2015 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 1038
2013 Lead and Copper Rule MR 84 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 5000
2011 Coliform (TCR) MR 8 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 3100
2009 Coliform (TCR) MCL 12 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 3100
2008 Lead and Copper Rule TT 2 SDWIS / MT0000632 / 5000

How Elk Meadows Ranchettes Compares

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

Metric Elk Meadows Ranchettes Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 174 131.4 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 175 492 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 Elk Meadows Ranchettes water safe to drink? ▼
Elk Meadows Ranchettes (PWS ID: MT0000632) has 174 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 175 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Elk Meadows Ranchettes serve? ▼
Elk Meadows Ranchettes serves 175 people in Huson, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 66 service connections.
What type of violations does Elk Meadows Ranchettes have? ▼
Elk Meadows Ranchettes has 174 total violations: 18 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 146 monitoring/reporting violations, and 6 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Elk Meadows Ranchettes water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Elk Meadows Ranchettes under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Elk Meadows Ranchettes use? ▼
Elk Meadows Ranchettes 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.