Public water system · MT0000153
ActiveBillings City of
At a glance
City of Billings (PWSID MT0000153) is an active community water system in Yellowstone County, Montana. It reports serving 114,000 people through 33,575 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 1998.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
114,000
Service connections
33,575
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Billings compare with other water systems in Yellowstone County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Billings is a very large system (more than 100,000 people). Yellowstone County has 119 active public water systems, and City of Billings is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 80 times the county average of 1,422 people per system, and accounts for 67% of the 169,240 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Montana, the 2,378 active systems average 489 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so City of Billings is about 17 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Montana has 853 active community water systems, 36% of the state's 2,378 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 60 Montana systems (2.5%) list surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates City of Billings?
EPA lists City of Billings as owned by a local government. 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. 15 of the 119 active systems in Yellowstone County (13%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Billings have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 1998. The violations listed here began between August 1993 and November 1998. By type: 4 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (4 of them). EPA lists 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1998-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1998-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Minor (TCR) · code 24 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
All 4 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.
City of Billings: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Billings?
City of Billings (PWSID MT0000153) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Billings serve?
City of Billings reports serving 114,000 people through 33,575 service connections in Yellowstone County, Montana.
Where does City of Billings get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.
Does City of Billings have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 1998. 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 City of Billings' 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. EPA's records list 4 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in November 1998. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Billings' water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Billings must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Yellowstone County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings Heights Co Water Dist of | Yellowstone | 12,000 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Laurel Municipal Water System | Yellowstone | 6,339 | Community | Surface water |
| Lockwood Water and Sewer District | Yellowstone | 5,900 | Community | Surface water |
| Rocky Mountain College | Yellowstone | 5,700 | Non-transient non-community | Purchased surface water |
| Montana State University Billings | Yellowstone | 2,999 | Non-transient non-community | Purchased surface water |
| Pioneer Water Service | Yellowstone | 900 | Community | Purchased surface water |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Billings City of, PWSID MT0000153, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/billings-city-of-mt0000153 (data as of October 1, 2026).