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Community Water System · PWS MT0004920

Shepherd Water Station

Miles City, Montana 59301 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 100 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

100
People served
497
EPA violations
0
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 497 drinking-water violations at Shepherd Water Station - above the Montana per-system average.

497
Total EPA violations on record
0%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
100
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Shepherd Water Station

Shepherd Water Station is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 100 residents in Miles City, Montana (Yellowstone County) through 1 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 497 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 491 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 Lead and Copper Rule, recorded in 14 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, 5 of 45 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (11.1%).

Shepherd Water Station's 497 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
100
Total Violations
497
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
1
County
Yellowstone
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
491
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Lead and Copper Rule MR 14 2024
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 10 2022
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 10 2016
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 9 2018
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 9 2018
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 9 2018
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 2018
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 2018
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 9 2018
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 9 2018
Tetrachloroethylene MR 9 2018
CHLOROBENZENE MR 9 2018
Benzene MR 9 2018
Xylenes, Total MR 9 2018
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 9 2018
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 9 2018
Carbon tetrachloride MR 9 2018
Trichloroethylene MR 9 2018
Toluene MR 9 2018
Ethylbenzene MR 9 2018
Vinyl chloride MR 9 2018
Styrene MR 9 2018
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 9 2018
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 9 2018
Dalapon MR 8 2016
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 8 2016
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 8 2016
Picloram MR 8 2016
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 8 2016
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 8 2016

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 Shepherd Water Station.

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 MT0004920 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 14 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 5000
2023 E. COLI MR 4 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 3014
2022 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 10 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 8000
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 7000
2018 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2378
2018 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2380
2018 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2964
2018 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2968
2018 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2969
2018 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2980
2018 1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2985
2018 Tetrachloroethylene MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2987
2018 CHLOROBENZENE MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2989
2018 Benzene MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2990
2018 Xylenes, Total MR 9 SDWIS / MT0004920 / 2955

How Shepherd Water Station Compares

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

Metric Shepherd Water Station Montana avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 497 131.4 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 11.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 100 492 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 Shepherd Water Station water safe to drink? ▼
Shepherd Water Station (PWS ID: MT0004920) has 497 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 100 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Shepherd Water Station serve? ▼
Shepherd Water Station serves 100 people in Miles City, Montana. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1 service connections.
What type of violations does Shepherd Water Station have? ▼
Shepherd Water Station has 497 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 491 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Shepherd Water Station water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Shepherd Water Station under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Shepherd Water Station use? ▼
Shepherd Water Station 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.