Public water system · MT0001736
ActiveNorthwoods Water System Coop Inc.
At a glance
Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. (PWSID MT0001736) is an active community water system in Flathead County, Montana. It reports serving 135 people through 47 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
135
Service connections
47
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. compare with other water systems in Flathead County?
By EPA's size categories, Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Flathead County has 327 active public water systems. Its population served is about 58% below the county average of 324 people per system, and accounts for 0.1% of the 105,781 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 Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. 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 Northwoods Water System Coop Inc.?
EPA lists Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. 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. 263 of the 327 active systems in Flathead County (80%) are also privately owned.
Does Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015. The violations listed here began between October 1983 and July 2015. By type: 8 monitoring and reporting, 2 contaminant level above the legal limit and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (5 of them). EPA lists 10 as resolved and 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-07 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2011-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Asbestoscode 1094 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-08-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1997-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1996-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-08-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1995-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Major (TCR) · code 25 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 1994-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1983-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
All 11 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.
Northwoods Water System Coop Inc.: frequently asked questions
Who runs Northwoods Water System Coop Inc.?
Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. (PWSID MT0001736) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. serve?
Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. reports serving 135 people through 47 service connections in Flathead County, Montana.
Where does Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. 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 Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015. 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 Northwoods Water System Coop Inc.'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 11 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in July 2015. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Northwoods Water System Coop Inc.'s water quality report?
As a community water system, Northwoods Water System Coop Inc. 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 Flathead County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalispell Public Works | Flathead | 25,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Whitefish City of | Flathead | 10,418 | Community | Surface water |
| Flathead County Water and Sewer | Flathead | 7,775 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bigfork County Water and Sewer | Flathead | 6,100 | Community | Groundwater |
| Columbia Falls City of | Flathead | 4,450 | Community | Groundwater |
| Ridge Run | Flathead | 3,500 | 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, “Northwoods Water System Coop Inc., PWSID MT0001736, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/northwoods-water-system-coop-inc-mt0001736 (data as of October 1, 2026).