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Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS MT0002565

Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center

Whitehall, Montana 59759 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 615 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

615
People served
42
EPA violations
9
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 42 drinking-water violations at Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center, 21% of them health-based - below the Montana per-system average.

42
Total EPA violations on record
21%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
615
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center

Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center is a state-owned transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 615 residents in Whitehall, Montana (Jefferson County) through 11 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 42 total violations for this system , of which 9 (21%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 33 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2019.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), 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, 28 of 45 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (62.2%).

Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center's 42 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
615
Total Violations
42
Health-Based Violations
9
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
State
Connections
11
County
Jefferson
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
5
Monitoring Violations
33
Treatment Tech Violations
4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 17 2008
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 11 2005
Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 2003
Groundwater Rule MR 4 2015
Groundwater Rule TT 4 2019
Nitrate 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 Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center.

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 MT0002565 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
2019 Groundwater Rule TT 4 SDWIS / MT0002565 / 0700
2015 Groundwater Rule MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002565 / 0700
2008 Coliform (TCR) MR 17 SDWIS / MT0002565 / 3100
2005 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 11 SDWIS / MT0002565 / 1038
2003 Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 SDWIS / MT0002565 / 3100
1981 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / MT0002565 / 1040

How Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center Compares

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

Metric Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 42 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 9 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 615 492 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 Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center water safe to drink? ▼
Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center (PWS ID: MT0002565) has 42 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 615 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center serve? ▼
Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center serves 615 people in Whitehall, Montana. It is a State-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 11 service connections.
What type of violations does Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center have? ▼
Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center has 42 total violations: 9 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 33 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center use? ▼
Lewis and Clark Caverns Visitor Center uses Surface Water 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.