Public water system · MT0004690
ActiveDevils Elbow Rec Site
At a glance
Devils Elbow Rec Site (PWSID MT0004690) is an active transient non-community water system in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. It reports serving 501 people through 11 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by the federal government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
501
Service connections
11
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Devils Elbow Rec Site compare with other water systems in Lewis and Clark County?
By EPA's size categories, Devils Elbow Rec Site is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Lewis and Clark County has 165 active public water systems. Its population served is about 21% above the county average of 413 people per system, and accounts for 0.7% of the 68,071 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 Devils Elbow Rec Site is about 3.5 times 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 Devils Elbow Rec Site?
EPA lists Devils Elbow Rec Site as owned by the federal 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. 16 of the 165 active systems in Lewis and Clark County (9.7%) are also owned by the federal government.
Does Devils Elbow Rec Site have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 2025. The violations listed here began between May 2017 and May 2025. By type: 4 monitoring, 4 monitoring and reporting and 4 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Groundwater Rule (7 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 2 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-12-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Archived |
| 2024-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Archived |
| 2021-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-05-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2020-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-07-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2018-06-01 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) · code 41 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2018-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-05-02 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique Startup Procedures (RTCR) · code 2D | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | 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.
Devils Elbow Rec Site: frequently asked questions
Who runs Devils Elbow Rec Site?
Devils Elbow Rec Site (PWSID MT0004690) is a transient non-community water system owned by the federal government. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Devils Elbow Rec Site serve?
Devils Elbow Rec Site reports serving 501 people through 11 service connections in Lewis and Clark County, Montana.
Where does Devils Elbow Rec Site 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 Devils Elbow Rec Site have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 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 Devils Elbow Rec Site'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, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in May 2025. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Devils Elbow Rec Site's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Devils Elbow Rec Site 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 Lewis and Clark County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helena Water System | Lewis and Clark | 32,091 | Community | Surface water |
| East Helena City of | Lewis and Clark | 2,114 | Community | Groundwater |
| Eastgate Village Sewer and Water | Lewis and Clark | 2,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Va Medical Center Helena | Lewis and Clark | 1,275 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Helena Leisure LLC | Lewis and Clark | 1,200 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bobs Valley Service Inc. | Lewis and Clark | 1,032 | 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, “Devils Elbow Rec Site, PWSID MT0004690, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/devils-elbow-rec-site-mt0004690 (data as of October 1, 2026).