Public water system · MT0000185
ActiveColumbus Town of
At a glance
Town of Columbus (PWSID MT0000185) is an active community water system in Stillwater County, Montana. It reports serving 1,900 people through 957 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2018.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,900
Service connections
957
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Town of Columbus compare with other water systems in Stillwater County?
By EPA's size categories, Town of Columbus is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Stillwater County has 30 active public water systems, and Town of Columbus is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6.8 times the county average of 278 people per system, and accounts for 23% of the 8,352 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 Columbus 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. 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 Town of Columbus?
EPA lists Town of Columbus 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. 5 of the 30 active systems in Stillwater County (17%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Town of Columbus have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2018. The violations listed here began between January 2015 and July 2018. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting, 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 monitoring. The contaminants or rules involved are Consumer Confidence Rule, Revised Total Coliform Rule, Ethylbenzene and trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Ethylbenzenecode 2992 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | trans-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2979 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Trichloroethylenecode 2984 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1,2-Trichloroethanecode 2985 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Carbon tetrachloridecode 2982 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | p-Dichlorobenzenecode 2969 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Vinyl chloridecode 2976 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | 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.
Town of Columbus: frequently asked questions
Who runs Town of Columbus?
Town of Columbus (PWSID MT0000185) 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 Columbus serve?
Town of Columbus reports serving 1,900 people through 957 service connections in Stillwater County, Montana.
Where does Town of Columbus 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 Town of Columbus 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 July 2018. 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 Columbus' 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 July 2018. 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 Columbus' water quality report?
As a community water system, Town of Columbus 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 Stillwater County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cenex Zip Trip Num 50 | Stillwater | 1,500 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Absarokee Water and Sewer Dist | Stillwater | 1,100 | Community | Groundwater |
| Columbus Rest Area Westbound | Stillwater | 800 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Columbus Rest Area Eastbound | Stillwater | 800 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Stillwater Mining Company | Stillwater | 630 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Park City School K 12 | Stillwater | 300 | Non-transient non-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, “Columbus Town of, PWSID MT0000185, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/columbus-town-of-mt0000185 (data as of October 1, 2026).