Public water system · MT0003140
ActiveBuffalo Lodge Bar
At a glance
Buffalo Lodge Bar (PWSID MT0003140) is an active transient non-community water system in Beaverhead County, Montana. It reports serving 30 people through 1 service connection. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
30
Service connections
1
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Buffalo Lodge Bar compare with other water systems in Beaverhead County?
By EPA's size categories, Buffalo Lodge Bar is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Beaverhead County has 48 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 198 people per system, and accounts for 0.3% of the 9,494 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 Buffalo Lodge Bar is well below 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 Buffalo Lodge Bar?
EPA lists Buffalo Lodge Bar 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. 24 of the 48 active systems in Beaverhead County (50%) are also privately owned.
Does Buffalo Lodge Bar have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2026. The violations listed here began between January 2000 and April 2026. By type: 8 monitoring and reporting, 3 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate-Nitrite (8 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved, 1 as unaddressed and 1 as archived. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2022-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | Yes | Archived |
| 2021-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Single Sample · code 01 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2004-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2004-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | 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.
Buffalo Lodge Bar: frequently asked questions
Who runs Buffalo Lodge Bar?
Buffalo Lodge Bar (PWSID MT0003140) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Buffalo Lodge Bar serve?
Buffalo Lodge Bar reports serving 30 people through 1 service connection in Beaverhead County, Montana.
Where does Buffalo Lodge Bar 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 Buffalo Lodge Bar have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2026. 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 Buffalo Lodge Bar'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, 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2026. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Buffalo Lodge Bar's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Buffalo Lodge Bar 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 Beaverhead County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon City of | Beaverhead | 4,300 | Community | Groundwater |
| Town Pump Dillon 2 | Beaverhead | 924 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Bannack St Park Visitor Center | Beaverhead | 410 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Maverick Mountain Resort LLC | Beaverhead | 340 | Transient non-community | Groundwater under influence of surface water |
| Keller Subdivision No 2 Hoa | Beaverhead | 300 | Community | Groundwater |
| Hildreth Subdivision No 2 | Beaverhead | 300 | 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, “Buffalo Lodge Bar, PWSID MT0003140, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/buffalo-lodge-bar-mt0003140 (data as of October 1, 2026).