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Federal water data

County water report

Pondera County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Pondera County, Montana.

Water grade

F

Water score

15.1

State rank

#43

of 55

Health violations

9

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

15 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

26

3,262 recent measurements

Live streamflow

122%

Birch Creek at Bullhead Bridge, nr Valier, MT

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Pondera County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 15.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

9

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

15 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

122% of mean

Birch Creek at Bullhead Bridge, nr Valier, MT

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

26

3,262 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

15.1/100

Health violations

9

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

197.2

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Pondera County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Pondera County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 15.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 9 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). None of the assessed waterways are listed as impaired (0 of 15 water bodies) across Pondera County's watersheds. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T12:30:00.000-06:00) puts Birch Creek at 33.8 cfs — flowing above its historical average at 122% of mean. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Pondera County has moderate coverage with 26 active monitoring sites with 3,262 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and not assigned. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Pondera County

Water Verdict

Pondera County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 15.1 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans.

Violation Context

Pondera County has recorded 9 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 197.2 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Pondera County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Pondera County's drinking-water compliance score is 15.1 out of 100. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. With 26 active water-quality monitoring sites in Pondera County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Birch Creek gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Pondera County has poorer water quality than the average county in Montana. Its water score is 33.8 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Pondera County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Pondera County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Pondera County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Pondera County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MT)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Montana

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 15 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for the assessed water bodies in this county.

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

26

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

3.3K

3,262 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Not Assigned
  • Nutrient

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

33.8cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

122%

Above typical

Primary Streamgage

Birch Creek at Bullhead Bridge, nr Valier, MT

USGS site
06098120
Drainage area
481 sq mi
Long-term mean
27.7 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Pondera County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Pondera County, Montana?
Pondera County, Montana has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 15.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 9 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Pondera County?
Pondera County has 9 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Pondera County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Pondera County's 15 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Pondera County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 3,262 measurements from 26 monitoring sites in Pondera County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Not Assigned, Nutrient. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Pondera County right now?
Pondera County's primary USGS streamgage on the Birch Creek has a pipeline snapshot of 33.8 cubic feet per second — 122% of the long-term mean of 27.68 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Pondera County water compare to the Montana average?
Pondera County's SDWIS water quality score of 15.1/100 is lower than the Montana state average of 48.9. The average water quality grade across Montana is D, based on data from 55 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Pondera County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Pondera County has a water quality grade of F (15.1/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Pondera County have so many water violations?
Pondera County has 9 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Pondera County rank for water quality in Montana?
Pondera County ranks #43 out of 55 counties in Montana by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 15.1/100, it falls in the bottom third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Custer County

Montana

F

13.5

Water score

Dawson County

Montana

F

13.2

Water score

Wibaux County

Montana

F

9.4

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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