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Community Water System · PWS MT0003175

Ridgewood Estates

Bigfork, Montana 59911 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 250 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

250
People served
366
EPA violations
3
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 366 drinking-water violations at Ridgewood Estates, 1% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

366
Total EPA violations on record
1%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
250
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Ridgewood Estates

Ridgewood Estates is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 250 residents in Bigfork, Montana (Lake County) through 83 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 366 total violations for this system , of which 3 (1%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 352 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 Surface Water Treatment Rule, recorded in 42 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%).

Ridgewood Estates's 366 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
250
Total Violations
366
Health-Based Violations
3
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
83
County
Lake
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
352
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 42 2014
Coliform (TCR) MR 21 2012
Arsenic MR 14 2008
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 10 2008
Xylenes, Total MR 10 2008
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 10 2008
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2008
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2008
Vinyl chloride MR 10 2008
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2008
Carbon tetrachloride MR 10 2008
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 10 2008
Trichloroethylene MR 10 2008
Toluene MR 10 2008
Styrene MR 10 2008
Antimony, Total MR 10 2008
Beryllium, Total MR 10 2008
Thallium, Total MR 10 2008
Nickel MR 10 2008
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2008
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 10 2008
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 10 2008
Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 2008
CHLOROBENZENE MR 10 2008
Ethylbenzene MR 10 2008
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2008
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 10 2008
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 10 2024
Benzene MR 10 2008
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 7 2008

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 Ridgewood Estates.

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 MT0003175 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 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 7000
2014 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 42 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 0200
2014 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 5000
2014 Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 0800
2012 Coliform (TCR) MR 21 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 3100
2009 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 0999
2008 Arsenic MR 14 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 1005
2008 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2378
2008 Xylenes, Total MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2955
2008 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2964
2008 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2968
2008 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2969
2008 Vinyl chloride MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2976
2008 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2979
2008 Carbon tetrachloride MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003175 / 2982

How Ridgewood Estates Compares

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

Metric Ridgewood Estates Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 366 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 3 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 250 492 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 Ridgewood Estates water safe to drink? ▼
Ridgewood Estates (PWS ID: MT0003175) has 366 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 250 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Ridgewood Estates serve? ▼
Ridgewood Estates serves 250 people in Bigfork, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 83 service connections.
What type of violations does Ridgewood Estates have? ▼
Ridgewood Estates has 366 total violations: 3 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 352 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Ridgewood Estates water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Ridgewood Estates under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Ridgewood Estates use? ▼
Ridgewood Estates uses Surface Water 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.