Public water system · MT0000173
ActiveChester Town of
At a glance
Town of Chester (PWSID MT0000173) is an active community water system in Liberty County, Montana. It reports serving 870 people through 495 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
870
Service connections
495
Primary source
SW
Surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Town of Chester compare with other water systems in Liberty County?
By EPA's size categories, Town of Chester is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Liberty County has 8 active public water systems, and Town of Chester is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 3.8 times the county average of 228 people per system, and accounts for 48% of the 1,827 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 Town of Chester is well below 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 Town of Chester?
EPA lists Town of Chester 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. 3 of the 8 active systems in Liberty County (38%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Town of Chester have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. The violations listed here began between December 1993 and October 2025. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminants or rules involved are Lead and Copper Rule, Combined Radium (-226 and -228), Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium) and Dichloromethane. EPA lists 7 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. 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.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Xylenes, Totalcode 2955 | No | Resolved |
| 2010-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-12-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Surface Water Treatment Rulecode 0200 | Yes | Resolved |
All 8 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.
Town of Chester: frequently asked questions
Who runs Town of Chester?
Town of Chester (PWSID MT0000173) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Town of Chester serve?
Town of Chester reports serving 870 people through 495 service connections in Liberty County, Montana.
Where does Town of Chester 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 Town of Chester have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 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 Town of Chester'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. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Town of Chester's water quality report?
As a community water system, Town of Chester 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 Liberty County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sage Creek Co Water District | Liberty | 225 | Community | Groundwater |
| Ncmrwa Tiber Service Area | Liberty | 200 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Sage Creek Colony | Liberty | 130 | Community | Groundwater |
| Riverview Colony | Liberty | 130 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Eagle Creek Colony | Liberty | 125 | Community | Groundwater |
| Hi-Line Colony | Liberty | 92 | 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, “Chester Town of, PWSID MT0000173, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/chester-town-of-mt0000173 (data as of October 1, 2026).