Public water system · MT0002811
ActivePolebridge Mercantile
At a glance
Polebridge Mercantile (PWSID MT0002811) is an active transient non-community water system in Flathead County, Montana. It reports serving 72 people through 2 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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
72
Service connections
2
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Polebridge Mercantile compare with other water systems in Flathead County?
By EPA's size categories, Polebridge Mercantile is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Flathead County has 327 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 324 people per system, and accounts for less than 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 transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Polebridge Mercantile is about half of 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 Polebridge Mercantile?
EPA lists Polebridge Mercantile 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 Polebridge Mercantile have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2025. The violations listed here began between October 2017 and November 2025. By type: 7 monitoring, 3 monitoring and reporting, 1 reporting and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-01 | ReportingReport Startup Procedures Cert Form (RTCR) · code 4C | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2025-04-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | 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 |
| 2020-04-02 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique Startup Procedures (RTCR) · code 2D | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2019-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-04-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-10-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | 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.
Polebridge Mercantile: frequently asked questions
Who runs Polebridge Mercantile?
Polebridge Mercantile (PWSID MT0002811) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Polebridge Mercantile serve?
Polebridge Mercantile reports serving 72 people through 2 service connections in Flathead County, Montana.
Where does Polebridge Mercantile 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 Polebridge Mercantile have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in November 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 Polebridge Mercantile'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, one is health-based, and the most recent began in November 2025. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Polebridge Mercantile's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Polebridge Mercantile 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 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, “Polebridge Mercantile, PWSID MT0002811, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/polebridge-mercantile-mt0002811 (data as of October 1, 2026).