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Community Water System · PWS MT0002978

Jefferson Hills Wua

Helena, Montana 59601 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 780 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

780
People served
170
EPA violations
24
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 170 drinking-water violations at Jefferson Hills Wua, 14% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

170
Total EPA violations on record
14%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
780
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Jefferson Hills Wua

Jefferson Hills Wua is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 780 residents in Helena, Montana (Jefferson County) through 72 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 170 total violations for this system , of which 24 (14%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 142 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 21 violations (MCL, health-based). 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%).

Jefferson Hills Wua's 170 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
780
Total Violations
170
Health-Based Violations
24
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
72
County
Jefferson
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
21
Monitoring Violations
142
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 21 2013
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 5 1994
Endrin MR 4 2011
Methoxychlor MR 4 2011
Toxaphene MR 4 2011
Dalapon MR 4 2011
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 2011
OXAMYL MR 4 2011
Simazine MR 4 2011
Dinoseb MR 4 2011
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 4 2011
Aldicarb sulfoxide MR 4 2011
Carbofuran MR 4 2011
Aldicarb MR 4 2011
Heptachlor epoxide MR 4 2011
2,4,5-TP MR 4 2011
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 4 2011
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 4 2011
Pentachlorophenol MR 4 2011
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2023
Picloram MR 4 2011
Heptachlor MR 4 2011
Atrazine MR 4 2011
LASSO MR 4 2011
2,4-D MR 4 2011
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 4 2011
Aldicarb sulfone MR 4 2011
BHC-GAMMA MR 4 2011
Chlordane MR 4 2011

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 Jefferson Hills Wua.

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 MT0002978 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
2024 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 5000
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 7000
2023 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 8000
2020 CYANIDE MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 1024
2020 Diquat MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2032
2020 1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2931
2020 Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2383
2020 E. COLI MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 3014
2020 Glyphosate MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2034
2020 Endothall MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2033
2020 ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 3 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2946
2013 Coliform (TCR) MCL 21 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 3100
2011 Endrin MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2005
2011 Methoxychlor MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2015
2011 Toxaphene MR 4 SDWIS / MT0002978 / 2020

How Jefferson Hills Wua Compares

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

Metric Jefferson Hills Wua Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 170 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 24 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 780 492 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 Jefferson Hills Wua water safe to drink? ▼
Jefferson Hills Wua (PWS ID: MT0002978) has 170 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 780 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Jefferson Hills Wua serve? ▼
Jefferson Hills Wua serves 780 people in Helena, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 72 service connections.
What type of violations does Jefferson Hills Wua have? ▼
Jefferson Hills Wua has 170 total violations: 24 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 142 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Jefferson Hills Wua water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Jefferson Hills Wua under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Jefferson Hills Wua use? ▼
Jefferson Hills Wua 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.