PlainWater
States → Montana

Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS MT0000720

The Border Bar

Turner, Montana 59542 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 52 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

52
People served
293
EPA violations
73
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 293 drinking-water violations at The Border Bar, 25% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

293
Total EPA violations on record
25%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
52
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: The Border Bar

The Border Bar is a private-owned transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 52 residents in Turner, Montana (Blaine County) through 1 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 293 total violations for this system , of which 73 (25%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 217 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 150 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, 5 of 45 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (11.1%).

The Border Bar's 293 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
52
Total Violations
293
Health-Based Violations
73
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
1
County
Blaine
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
73
Monitoring Violations
217
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 150 2015
Coliform (TCR) MCL 45 2013
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 32 2020
Nitrate-Nitrite MCL 27 2013
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 21 2022
E. COLI MR 9 2016
Nitrate MR 5 1994
Nitrate MCL 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 The Border Bar.

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 MT0000720 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
2022 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 21 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 1038
2020 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 32 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 8000
2016 E. COLI MR 9 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 3014
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 150 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 3100
2013 Coliform (TCR) MCL 45 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 3100
2013 Nitrate-Nitrite MCL 27 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 1038
1994 Nitrate MR 5 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 1040
1981 Nitrate MCL 1 SDWIS / MT0000720 / 1040

How The Border Bar Compares

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

Metric The Border Bar Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 293 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 73 11.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 11.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 52 492 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 The Border Bar water safe to drink? ▼
The Border Bar (PWS ID: MT0000720) has 293 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 52 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does The Border Bar serve? ▼
The Border Bar serves 52 people in Turner, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1 service connections.
What type of violations does The Border Bar have? ▼
The Border Bar has 293 total violations: 73 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 217 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in The Border Bar water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for The Border Bar under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does The Border Bar use? ▼
The Border Bar uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Transient Non-Community Water System, serving transient populations.
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.