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Community Water System · PWS MT0001649

Miller Colony

Choteau, Montana 59422 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 84 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

84
People served
268
EPA violations
21
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 268 drinking-water violations at Miller Colony, 8% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

268
Total EPA violations on record
8%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
84
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Miller Colony

Miller Colony is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 84 residents in Choteau, Montana (Teton County) through 11 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 268 total violations for this system , of which 21 (8%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 240 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2020.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 17 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%).

Miller Colony's 268 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
84
Total Violations
268
Health-Based Violations
21
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
11
County
Teton
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
14
Monitoring Violations
240
Treatment Tech Violations
7

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 17 2020
Coliform (TCR) MR 15 2008
Coliform (TCR) MCL 14 2011
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 10 2012
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 10 2012
TTHM MR 7 2006
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 7 2006
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2013
Xylenes, Total MR 4 2012
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 4 2012
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 2012
Vinyl chloride MR 4 2012
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2012
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 4 2012
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 2012
Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 2012
Trichloroethylene MR 4 2012
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 4 2012
CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 2012
Benzene MR 4 2012
Styrene MR 4 2012
Groundwater Rule TT 4 2016
Groundwater Rule MR 4 2014
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2012
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 2012
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 4 2012
Toluene MR 4 2012
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 4 2012
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 4 2012
Tetrachloroethylene MR 4 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 Miller Colony.

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 MT0001649 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
2020 Lead and Copper Rule MR 17 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 5000
2016 Groundwater Rule TT 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 0700
2014 Groundwater Rule MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 0700
2013 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 7000
2012 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 10 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 4000
2012 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 10 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 4010
2012 Xylenes, Total MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2955
2012 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2964
2012 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2969
2012 Vinyl chloride MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2976
2012 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2979
2012 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2980
2012 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2981
2012 Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2982
2012 Trichloroethylene MR 4 SDWIS / MT0001649 / 2984

How Miller Colony Compares

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

Metric Miller Colony Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 268 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 21 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 84 492 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 Miller Colony water safe to drink? ▼
Miller Colony (PWS ID: MT0001649) has 268 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 84 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Miller Colony serve? ▼
Miller Colony serves 84 people in Choteau, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 11 service connections.
What type of violations does Miller Colony have? ▼
Miller Colony has 268 total violations: 21 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 240 monitoring/reporting violations, and 7 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Miller Colony water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Miller Colony under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Miller Colony use? ▼
Miller Colony 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.