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Community Water System · PWS MT0003199

Ranch Headquarters

Gardiner, Montana 59030 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 85 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

85
People served
43
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 43 drinking-water violations at Ranch Headquarters - below the Montana per-system average.

43
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
85
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Ranch Headquarters

Ranch Headquarters is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 85 residents in Gardiner, Montana (Park County) through 27 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 43 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 40 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 2,4,5-TP, 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%).

Ranch Headquarters's 43 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
85
Total Violations
43
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
27
County
Park
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
40
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
2,4,5-TP MR 18 2020
Coliform (TCR) MR 10 2000
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2015
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 3 2011
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 2008
Combined Uranium MR 3 2014
Nitrate MR 2 1997

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 Ranch Headquarters.

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 MT0003199 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 2,4,5-TP MR 18 SDWIS / MT0003199 / 2110
2015 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / MT0003199 / 5000
2014 Combined Uranium MR 3 SDWIS / MT0003199 / 4006
2011 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 3 SDWIS / MT0003199 / 7000
2008 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 3 SDWIS / MT0003199 / 4010
2000 Coliform (TCR) MR 10 SDWIS / MT0003199 / 3100
1997 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / MT0003199 / 1040

How Ranch Headquarters Compares

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

Metric Ranch Headquarters Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 43 131.4 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 85 492 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 Ranch Headquarters water safe to drink? ▼
Ranch Headquarters (PWS ID: MT0003199) has 43 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 85 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Ranch Headquarters serve? ▼
Ranch Headquarters serves 85 people in Gardiner, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 27 service connections.
What type of violations does Ranch Headquarters have? ▼
Ranch Headquarters has 43 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 40 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Ranch Headquarters water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Ranch Headquarters under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Ranch Headquarters use? ▼
Ranch Headquarters 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.