PlainWater

Community Water System · PWS MT0000914

Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District

Columbia Falls, Montana 59912 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 950 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

950
People served
112
EPA violations
6
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 112 drinking-water violations at Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District, 5% of them health-based - below the Montana per-system average.

112
Total EPA violations on record
5%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
950
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District

Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 950 residents in Columbia Falls, Montana (Flathead County) through 335 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 112 total violations for this system , of which 6 (5%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 99 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 Revised Total Coliform Rule, recorded in 12 violations (MON). 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%).

Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District's 112 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
950
Total Violations
112
Health-Based Violations
6
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
335
County
Flathead
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
6
Monitoring Violations
99
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 12 2019
Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 2025
Coliform (TCR) MR 6 1997
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 2005
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 6 2018
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 3 2000
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 3 2000
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 3 2000
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 3 2000
Vinyl chloride MR 3 2000
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 3 2000
Carbon tetrachloride MR 3 2000
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 3 2000
Trichloroethylene MR 3 2000
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 3 2000
CHLOROBENZENE MR 3 2000
Styrene MR 3 2000
Asbestos MR 3 2020
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 3 2000
Benzene MR 3 2000
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 3 2000
Ethylbenzene MR 3 2000
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 3 2000
Xylenes, Total MR 3 2000
Toluene MR 3 2000
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 3 2000
Tetrachloroethylene MR 3 2000
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2006
Nitrate MR 1 1993

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 Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District.

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 MT0000914 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 Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 5000
2020 Asbestos MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 1094
2019 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 12 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 8000
2018 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 6 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 1038
2006 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 7000
2005 Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 3100
2000 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2378
2000 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2380
2000 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2968
2000 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2969
2000 Vinyl chloride MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2976
2000 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2979
2000 Carbon tetrachloride MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2982
2000 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2983
2000 Trichloroethylene MR 3 SDWIS / MT0000914 / 2984

How Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District Compares

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

Metric Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 112 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 6 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 950 492 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 Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District water safe to drink?
Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District (PWS ID: MT0000914) has 112 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 950 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District serve?
Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District serves 950 people in Columbia Falls, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 335 service connections.
What type of violations does Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District have?
Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District has 112 total violations: 6 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 99 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District use?
Meadow Lake Co Water and Sewer District 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.
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.