Public water system · MT0004920
ActiveShepherd Water Station
At a glance
Shepherd Water Station (PWSID MT0004920) is an active community water system in Yellowstone County, Montana. It reports serving 100 people through 1 service connection. Its primary water source is groundwater, 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 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
100
Service connections
1
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Shepherd Water Station compare with other water systems in Yellowstone County?
By EPA's size categories, Shepherd Water Station is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Yellowstone County has 119 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 1,422 people per system, and accounts for less than 0.1% of the 169,240 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 Shepherd Water Station 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 Shepherd Water Station?
EPA lists Shepherd Water Station 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. 97 of the 119 active systems in Yellowstone County (82%) are also privately owned.
Does Shepherd Water Station 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 2025. The violations listed here began between July 2018 and December 2025. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting, 3 monitoring and 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-18 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-07-18 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Source Water (GWR) · code 34 | E. colicode 3014 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-10-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-09-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-02-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-12-30 | Monitoring and reportingLead Consumer Notice · code 66 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2020-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-08-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Unfilt/GWR) · code 31 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2018-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | 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.
Shepherd Water Station: frequently asked questions
Who runs Shepherd Water Station?
Shepherd Water Station (PWSID MT0004920) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Shepherd Water Station serve?
Shepherd Water Station reports serving 100 people through 1 service connection in Yellowstone County, Montana.
Where does Shepherd Water Station 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 Shepherd Water Station 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 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 Shepherd Water Station'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 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 Shepherd Water Station's water quality report?
As a community water system, Shepherd Water Station 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 Yellowstone County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings City of | Yellowstone | 114,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Billings Heights Co Water Dist of | Yellowstone | 12,000 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Laurel Municipal Water System | Yellowstone | 6,339 | Community | Surface water |
| Lockwood Water and Sewer District | Yellowstone | 5,900 | Community | Surface water |
| Rocky Mountain College | Yellowstone | 5,700 | Non-transient non-community | Purchased surface water |
| Montana State University Billings | Yellowstone | 2,999 | 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, “Shepherd Water Station, PWSID MT0004920, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/shepherd-water-station-mt0004920 (data as of October 1, 2026).