Eagle Mountain Rural PWS
What EPA’s and Montana’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 50 people
- Connections
- 25
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Columbus, MT
- County
- Stillwater
- Owner
- Private
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
2 results are above the health goal. The worst: Lead, above the health goal. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What handles itWhat was found
Lead and copper: EPA SDWIS monitoring periods ending 2008 to 2026.
Uranium, nitrate, fluoride, chromium (total), arsenic and total trihalomethanes (TTHM): Montana’s own results, samples taken from Oct. 20, 2020 to Sept. 13, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Above the health goal2
Lead
Comes from pipes, often your own
4.0ppb
90th percentile, 2024 to 2026
In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 4.0 ppb, below EPA’s action level of 15 ppb. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Lead Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Lead Reduction”
Uranium
Comes from the source
4.7ppb
Highest yearly average, 2025
Averaged by year, the highest was 4.7 ppb, in 2025: below EPA’s legal limit of 30 ppb, but above its health goal of zero. That is the only year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 5.0 ppb, in 2016.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Uranium”
Below EPA’s limits3
Nitrate
Comes from the source
2.4ppm
Highest sample; found in 8 of 8
2026, one sample: 0.4 ppm
The highest sample, in 2023, was 2.4 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.4 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 2.6 ppm, in 2018.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.5ppm
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
2025, one sample: 0.3 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.5 ppm, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2025, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.3 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.4 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
5.0ppb
Highest yearly average, 2022 to 2025
2025: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 5.0 ppb, in 2022, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. In 2025, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
2 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
What handles it
A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”
- NSF/ANSI 53
Claim: Lead Reduction
For: Lead
- NSF/ANSI 58
Claims: Lead Reduction, Uranium
For: Lead, Uranium
At the tap, or for the whole house?
Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.
Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Culligan 10-Cup Pitcher with ZeroWater Technology (ZEROP10)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Violations since 2016
No health-based violations on file with EPA since 2016. There are 3 monitoring or reporting violations: a sample missed, late or not reported.
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Uranium, nitrate, fluoride, chromium (total), arsenic and total trihalomethanes (TTHM) results here are Montana’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Eagle Mountain Rural PWS’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has the contaminants this page does not show.
Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; Montana’s results run from Oct. 20, 2020 to Sept. 13, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The lab Montana certifies closest to the area Eagle Mountain Rural PWS serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Energy Laboratories, Inc.
Billings, MT · about 46 miles
Certified for bacteria, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals
Montana State Environmental Laboratory: Private well testing packages for bacteria, metals, nutrients, anions, organic chemicals and more, open to the public. Samples can be mailed, sent by the lab's free courier, or dropped off at the lab. Environmental Laboratory, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.
All 36 certified labs for MontanaSources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Public Water Supply, results from Jan. 2, 2020 to Oct. 6, 2026, read Oct. 18, 2026
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Water Laboratory Certification Program, certified laboratories, read Oct. 10, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID MT0004461. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
Towns it serves
Nearby
- Town of Columbus1,900
- Absarokee Water and Sewer Dist1,100
- Country Haven Estates Whispering Pines100
- Rapelje Water District70
- Sherwood Water Station25
- Strobel Trailer CourtSweet Grass County · 23 mi60
- City of Big TimberSweet Grass County · 23 mi1,650
- Cottonwood EstatesSweet Grass County · 23 mi50
What to do next
- Read up on the 2 results above a lineWhat each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.Start with Lead
- Get the utility’s own reportEagle Mountain Rural PWS must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Compare certified filtersWhat the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.Compare five-year costs