Public water system · MT0003823
ActiveTrails End Ranch
At a glance
Trails End Ranch (PWSID MT0003823) is an active transient non-community water system in Carter County, Montana. It reports serving 508 people through 21 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 July 2025.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
508
Service connections
21
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Trails End Ranch compare with other water systems in Carter County?
By EPA's size categories, Trails End Ranch is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Carter County has 5 active public water systems, and Trails End Ranch is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 155% above the county average of 199 people per system, and accounts for 51% of the 996 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 Trails End Ranch is about 3.5 times 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 Trails End Ranch?
EPA lists Trails End Ranch 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. 3 of the 5 active systems in Carter County (60%) are also privately owned.
Does Trails End Ranch have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, one is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2025. The violations listed here began between April 2011 and July 2025. By type: 8 monitoring, 3 monitoring and reporting and 1 required treatment not met. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Revised Total Coliform Rule (9 of them). EPA lists 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Archived |
| 2024-02-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-04-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-07-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-06-01 | 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 |
| 2018-08-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-04-02 | Required treatment not metTreatment Technique Startup Procedures (RTCR) · code 2D | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2013-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | 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.
Trails End Ranch: frequently asked questions
Who runs Trails End Ranch?
Trails End Ranch (PWSID MT0003823) is a transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MT state drinking water program.
How many people does Trails End Ranch serve?
Trails End Ranch reports serving 508 people through 21 service connections in Carter County, Montana.
Where does Trails End Ranch 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 Trails End Ranch 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 July 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 Trails End Ranch'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 July 2025. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the MT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Trails End Ranch's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Trails End Ranch 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 Carter County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ekalaka Town of | Carter | 400 | Community | Groundwater |
| B and Js Convenience Store | Carter | 32 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Stoneville Saloon | Carter | 31 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Medicine Rocks State Park | Carter | 25 | 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, “Trails End Ranch, PWSID MT0003823, Montana”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/montana/trails-end-ranch-mt0003823 (data as of October 1, 2026).