Public water system · MT0000248
ActiveHighwood County Water and Sewer District
At a glance
Highwood County Water and Sewer District (PWSID MT0000248) is an active community water system in Chouteau County, Montana. It reports serving 280 people through 92 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 October 2023.
This page covers its drinking water system only; sewer and wastewater service are not part of EPA's drinking water records.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
280
Service connections
92
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Highwood County Water and Sewer District compare with other water systems in Chouteau County?
By EPA's size categories, Highwood County Water and Sewer District is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Chouteau County has 12 active public water systems, and Highwood County Water and Sewer District is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is roughly in line with the county average of 288 people per system, and accounts for 8.1% of the 3,456 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 Highwood County Water and Sewer District 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 Highwood County Water and Sewer District?
EPA lists Highwood County Water and Sewer District 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. 9 of the 12 active systems in Chouteau County (75%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Highwood County Water and Sewer District have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. The violations listed here began between January 2020 and October 2023. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 5 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (5 of them). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-04-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipatecode 2035 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | trans-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2979 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2-Dichloroethanecode 2980 | 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.
Highwood County Water and Sewer District: frequently asked questions
Who runs Highwood County Water and Sewer District?
Highwood County Water and Sewer District (PWSID MT0000248) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Highwood County Water and Sewer District serve?
Highwood County Water and Sewer District reports serving 280 people through 92 service connections in Chouteau County, Montana.
Where does Highwood County Water and Sewer District 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 Highwood County Water and Sewer District 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 October 2023. 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 Highwood County Water and Sewer District'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, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Highwood County Water and Sewer District's water quality report?
As a community water system, Highwood County Water and Sewer District 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 Chouteau County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Benton City of | Chouteau | 1,500 | Community | Groundwater |
| Big Sandy Town of | Chouteau | 608 | Community | Groundwater |
| Geraldine Town of | Chouteau | 260 | Community | Groundwater |
| Loma County Water District | Chouteau | 200 | Community | Surface water |
| Carter Chouteau Co Water Dist | Chouteau | 150 | Community | Surface water |
| Coal Banks Landing Blm | Chouteau | 120 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
Related pages
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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, “Highwood County Water and Sewer District, PWSID MT0000248, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/highwood-county-water-and-sewer-district-mt0000248 (data as of October 1, 2026).