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Community Water System · PWS MT0002873

Mountain Heritage Water System

Helena, Montana 59602 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 175 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

175
People served
103
EPA violations
6
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 103 drinking-water violations at Mountain Heritage Water System, 6% of them health-based - below the Montana per-system average.

103
Total EPA violations on record
6%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
175
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Mountain Heritage Water System

Mountain Heritage Water System is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 175 residents in Helena, Montana (Lewis and Clark County) through 76 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 103 total violations for this system , of which 6 (6%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 94 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 18 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%).

Mountain Heritage Water System's 103 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
175
Total Violations
103
Health-Based Violations
6
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
76
County
Lewis and Clark
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
6
Monitoring Violations
94
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 18 2019
TTHM MR 17 2006
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 17 2006
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 2000
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 1994
Barium MR 4 2020
Cadmium MR 4 2020
Chromium MR 4 2020
Fluoride MR 4 2020
Mercury MR 4 2020
Selenium MR 4 2020
Nickel MR 3 2020
Antimony, Total MR 3 2020
Beryllium, Total MR 3 2020
Thallium, Total MR 3 2020
Arsenic MR 1 1982
Nitrate MR 1 1982

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 Mountain Heritage Water System.

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 MT0002873 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 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1010
2020 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1015
2020 Chromium MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1020
2020 Fluoride MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1025
2020 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1035
2020 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1045
2020 Nickel MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1036
2020 Antimony, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1074
2020 Beryllium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1075
2020 Thallium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 1085
2019 Lead and Copper Rule MR 18 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 5000
2006 TTHM MR 17 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 2950
2006 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 17 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 2456
2000 Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 3100
1994 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002873 / 3100

How Mountain Heritage Water System Compares

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

Metric Mountain Heritage Water System Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 103 131.4 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 175 492 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 Mountain Heritage Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Mountain Heritage Water System (PWS ID: MT0002873) has 103 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 175 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Mountain Heritage Water System serve? ▼
Mountain Heritage Water System serves 175 people in Helena, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 76 service connections.
What type of violations does Mountain Heritage Water System have? ▼
Mountain Heritage Water System has 103 total violations: 6 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 94 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Mountain Heritage Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Mountain Heritage Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Mountain Heritage Water System use? ▼
Mountain Heritage Water System 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.