Public water system · MT0003306
ActiveBears Country Store
At a glance
Bears Country Store (PWSID MT0003306) is an active transient non-community water system in Lincoln County, Montana. It reports serving 805 people through 2 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
805
Service connections
2
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Bears Country Store compare with other water systems in Lincoln County?
By EPA's size categories, Bears Country Store is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Lincoln County has 92 active public water systems, and Bears Country Store is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 3.8 times the county average of 212 people per system, and accounts for 4.1% of the 19,484 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Montana, the 2,378 active systems average 489 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Bears Country Store is about 5.6 times that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Montana has 1,206 active transient non-community water systems, 51% of the state's 2,378 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,994 Montana systems (84%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Bears Country Store?
EPA lists Bears Country Store as privately owned. The MT state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 64 of the 92 active systems in Lincoln County (70%) are also privately owned.
Does Bears Country Store have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025. The violations listed here began between June 2017 and April 2025. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting and 6 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (6 of them). EPA lists 12 as resolved. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-09-21 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-12-19 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-10-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-08-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-06-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Bears Country Store: frequently asked questions
Who runs Bears Country Store?
Bears Country Store (PWSID MT0003306) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Bears Country Store serve?
Bears Country Store reports serving 805 people through 2 service connections in Lincoln County, Montana.
Where does Bears Country Store get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Bears Country Store have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Bears Country Store's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2025. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Bears Country Store's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Bears Country Store is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Lincoln County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libby City of | Lincoln | 4,892 | Community | Surface water |
| Troy City of | Lincoln | 2,100 | Community | Groundwater |
| Eureka Town of | Lincoln | 1,995 | Community | Surface water |
| Fortine Mercantile | Lincoln | 504 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Indian Springs Ranch Sub | Lincoln | 455 | Community | Groundwater |
| Wilderness Club the | Lincoln | 440 | Community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Bears Country Store, PWSID MT0003306, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/bears-country-store-mt0003306 (data as of October 1, 2026).