Public water system · MT0003301
ActiveCottonwood Camp Fort Smith
At a glance
Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith (PWSID MT0003301) is an active transient non-community water system in Big Horn County, Montana. It reports serving 85 people through 40 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, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
85
Service connections
40
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith compare with other water systems in Big Horn County?
By EPA's size categories, Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Big Horn County has 23 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 449 people per system, and accounts for 0.8% of the 10,335 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 Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith is about 41% 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 Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith?
EPA lists Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith 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. 11 of the 23 active systems in Big Horn County (48%) are also privately owned.
Does Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. The violations listed here began between May 2011 and October 2025. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting, 2 required treatment not met and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (5 of them). EPA lists 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-23 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR) · code 2A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2025-09-16 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-12-15 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR) · code 2A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2023-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-09-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | 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.
Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith: frequently asked questions
Who runs Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith?
Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith (PWSID MT0003301) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith serve?
Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith reports serving 85 people through 40 service connections in Big Horn County, Montana.
Where does Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith 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 Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 2 are 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 Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith'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, 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2025. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith 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 Big Horn County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin City of | Big Horn | 3,500 | Community | Surface water |
| Little Bighorn Battlefield Nm | Big Horn | 2,020 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Hardin Eastbound Rest Area | Big Horn | 877 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Hardin Westbound Rest Area | Big Horn | 715 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Lodge Grass Town of | Big Horn | 480 | Community | Groundwater |
| Fort Smith Water and Sewer District | Big Horn | 450 | 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, “Cottonwood Camp Fort Smith, PWSID MT0003301, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/cottonwood-camp-fort-smith-mt0003301 (data as of October 1, 2026).