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States → Montana

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS MT0002009

Spring Creek Mine

Decker, Montana 59025 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 200 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

200
People served
50
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 50 drinking-water violations at Spring Creek Mine - below the Montana per-system average.

50
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
200
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Spring Creek Mine

Spring Creek Mine is a private-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 200 residents in Decker, Montana (Big Horn County) through 1 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 50 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 49 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 27 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%).

Spring Creek Mine's 50 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
200
Total Violations
50
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
1
County
Big Horn
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
49
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 27 2013
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2004
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 6 2022
Nitrate MR 2 1982
Mercury MR 1 1981
Arsenic MR 1 1981
Fluoride MR 1 1981
Chromium MR 1 1981
Cadmium MR 1 1981
Asbestos MR 1 2002
Barium MR 1 1981
Selenium MR 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 Spring Creek Mine.

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 MT0002009 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 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 6 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 8000
2013 Coliform (TCR) MR 27 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 3100
2004 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 5000
2002 Asbestos MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1094
1982 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1040
1981 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1035
1981 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1005
1981 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1025
1981 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1020
1981 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1015
1981 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1010
1981 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002009 / 1045

How Spring Creek Mine Compares

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

Metric Spring Creek Mine Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 50 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 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 200 492 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 Spring Creek Mine water safe to drink? ▼
Spring Creek Mine (PWS ID: MT0002009) has 50 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 200 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Spring Creek Mine serve? ▼
Spring Creek Mine serves 200 people in Decker, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 1 service connections.
What type of violations does Spring Creek Mine have? ▼
Spring Creek Mine has 50 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 49 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Spring Creek Mine water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Spring Creek Mine under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Spring Creek Mine use? ▼
Spring Creek Mine uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
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.