Public water system · MT0003539
ActivePrairie Water Company
At a glance
Prairie Water Company (PWSID MT0003539) is an active community water system in Cascade County, Montana. It reports serving 1,000 people through 550 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2024.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,000
Service connections
550
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Prairie Water Company compare with other water systems in Cascade County?
By EPA's size categories, Prairie Water Company is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Cascade County has 98 active public water systems. Its population served is roughly in line with the county average of 985 people per system, and accounts for 1% of the 96,513 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 Prairie Water Company 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. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 212 Montana systems (8.9%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Prairie Water Company?
EPA lists Prairie Water Company 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. 73 of the 98 active systems in Cascade County (74%) are also privately owned.
Does Prairie Water Company have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in December 2024. The violations listed here began between October 2012 and December 2024. By type: 6 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 5 monitoring and reporting and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (6 of them). EPA lists 9 as resolved and 3 as unaddressed. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-12-30 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2024-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2023-09-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2021-12-30 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-12-30 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2012-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | 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.
Prairie Water Company: frequently asked questions
Who runs Prairie Water Company?
Prairie Water Company (PWSID MT0003539) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Prairie Water Company serve?
Prairie Water Company reports serving 1,000 people through 550 service connections in Cascade County, Montana.
Where does Prairie Water Company get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Prairie Water Company 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 December 2024. 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 Prairie Water Company'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 December 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Prairie Water Company's water quality report?
As a community water system, Prairie Water Company 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 Cascade County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls City of | Cascade | 60,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Malmstrom Air Force Base | Cascade | 8,850 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Source Giant Springs Inc. | Cascade | 3,007 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Montana Expo Park Cascade County | Cascade | 2,510 | Transient non-community | Purchased surface water |
| Sun Prairie Village County | Cascade | 1,800 | Community | Groundwater |
| University of Providence | Cascade | 1,472 | Non-transient non-community | Purchased surface water |
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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, “Prairie Water Company, PWSID MT0003539, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/prairie-water-company-mt0003539 (data as of October 1, 2026).