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States → Montana

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS MT0003709

Sanders County Harvest Foods

Polson, Montana 59860 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 445 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

445
People served
284
EPA violations
26
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 284 drinking-water violations at Sanders County Harvest Foods, 9% of them health-based - above the Montana per-system average.

284
Total EPA violations on record
9%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
445
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Sanders County Harvest Foods

Sanders County Harvest Foods is a private-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 445 residents in Polson, Montana (Sanders County) through 1 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 284 total violations for this system , of which 26 (9%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 246 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 Arsenic, recorded in 23 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%).

Sanders County Harvest Foods's 284 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
445
Total Violations
284
Health-Based Violations
26
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
1
County
Sanders
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
23
Monitoring Violations
246
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Arsenic MCL 23 2009
Coliform (TCR) MR 20 2002
Lead and Copper Rule MR 17 2024
Arsenic MR 11 2013
Barium MR 7 2014
Mercury MR 7 2014
Chromium MR 7 2014
Fluoride MR 7 2014
Cadmium MR 7 2014
Selenium MR 7 2014
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 6 2020
Nitrate MR 5 1998
Nickel MR 4 2005
Antimony, Total MR 4 2005
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 2005
Endrin MR 4 2005
BHC-GAMMA MR 4 2005
Atrazine MR 4 2005
Simazine MR 4 2005
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 4 2005
Heptachlor epoxide MR 4 2005
Heptachlor MR 4 2005
LASSO MR 4 2005
Toxaphene MR 4 2005
Methoxychlor MR 4 2005
Beryllium, Total MR 4 2005
Thallium, Total MR 4 2005
Chlordane MR 4 2005
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 3 2002
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 3 2002

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 Sanders County Harvest Foods.

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 MT0003709 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 17 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 5000
2020 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 6 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 8000
2014 Barium MR 7 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1010
2014 Mercury MR 7 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1035
2014 Chromium MR 7 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1020
2014 Fluoride MR 7 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1025
2014 Cadmium MR 7 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1015
2014 Selenium MR 7 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1045
2013 Arsenic MR 11 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1005
2013 Groundwater Rule TT 3 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 0700
2009 Arsenic MCL 23 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1005
2005 Nickel MR 4 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1036
2005 Antimony, Total MR 4 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 1074
2005 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 4 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 2035
2005 Endrin MR 4 SDWIS / MT0003709 / 2005

How Sanders County Harvest Foods Compares

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

Metric Sanders County Harvest Foods Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 284 131.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 26 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 445 492 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 Sanders County Harvest Foods water safe to drink? ▼
Sanders County Harvest Foods (PWS ID: MT0003709) has 284 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 445 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Sanders County Harvest Foods serve? ▼
Sanders County Harvest Foods serves 445 people in Polson, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1 service connections.
What type of violations does Sanders County Harvest Foods have? ▼
Sanders County Harvest Foods has 284 total violations: 26 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 246 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Sanders County Harvest Foods water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Sanders County Harvest Foods under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Sanders County Harvest Foods use? ▼
Sanders County Harvest Foods uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
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.