Public water system · MT0000308
ActivePolson City of
At a glance
City of Polson (PWSID MT0000308) is an active community water system in Lake County, Montana. It reports serving 5,300 people through 2,566 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 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
5,300
Service connections
2,566
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does City of Polson compare with other water systems in Lake County?
By EPA's size categories, City of Polson is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Lake County has 90 active public water systems, and City of Polson is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 24 times the county average of 220 people per system, and accounts for 27% of the 19,829 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 City of Polson is about 21% 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 City of Polson?
EPA lists City of Polson 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 90 active systems in Lake County (10%) are also owned by a local government.
Does City of Polson 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 2025. The violations listed here began between January 2005 and October 2025. By type: 10 monitoring and reporting and 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Toluenecode 2991 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitrate-Nitritecode 1038 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | cis-1,2-Dichloroethylenecode 2380 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | o-Dichlorobenzenecode 2968 | No | Resolved |
| 2005-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Trichloroethylenecode 2984 | 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.
City of Polson: frequently asked questions
Who runs City of Polson?
City of Polson (PWSID MT0000308) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does City of Polson serve?
City of Polson reports serving 5,300 people through 2,566 service connections in Lake County, Montana.
Where does City of Polson 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 City of Polson 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 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 City of Polson'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 2025. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find City of Polson's water quality report?
As a community water system, City of Polson 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 Lake County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronan City of | Lake | 2,483 | Community | Surface water |
| Pablo Lake County Water and Sewer Dist | Lake | 2,175 | Community | Groundwater |
| St Ignatius Town of | Lake | 700 | Community | Groundwater |
| Woods Bay Water and Sewer District | Lake | 685 | Community | Groundwater |
| Wilson Foods | Lake | 600 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Consolidated Charlo Lake Co W and S Dist | Lake | 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, “Polson City of, PWSID MT0000308, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/polson-city-of-mt0000308 (data as of October 1, 2026).