Pablo Lake County Water and Sewer Dist
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
- 2,175 people
- Connections
- 640
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Pablo, MT
- County
- Lake
- Owner
- Local government
The short answer
Nothing in EPA’s and Montana’s records for this utility is above a health goal. That covers nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals, plus lead and copper, not everything. 2 health-based violations since 2016.
What was found
Fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total), total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and uranium: Montana’s own results, samples taken from Dec. 14, 2020 to March 25, 2026, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Below EPA’s limits2
Fluoride
Forms or is added in treatment
0.28ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2026
2026, one sample: 0.21 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.28 ppm, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. Its highest single sample was 0.31 ppm. In 2026, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.21 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.32 ppm, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.3ppm
Highest sample; found in 4 of 4
2026, one sample: 0.3 ppm
The highest sample, in 2026, was 0.3 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file, and its one sample was 0.3 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.13 ppm, in 2019.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
5 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Chromium (total)
- Lead
- Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
- Uranium
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | E. coli was confirmed in the water system.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) | Nov. 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2023 | — | Resolved |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | Coliform results required a check of the system, and the check or its fixes were not done on time.EPA: Treatment Technique, Level 1 Assessment (RTCR) | April 9, 2023 | — | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 5 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, chromium (total), total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and uranium results here are Montana’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Pablo Lake County Water and Sewer Dist’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 Dec. 14, 2020 to March 25, 2026.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Montana certifies closest to the area Pablo Lake County Water and Sewer Dist serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Mission Mountain Laboratories
Ravalli, MT · about 19 miles
Certified for bacteria
Missoula CCHD Water Lab
Missoula, MT · about 47 miles
Certified for bacteria
Montana Environmental Laboratory
Kalispell, MT · about 47 miles
Certified for bacteria, minerals and other inorganics
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 MT0001917. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Nothing here is above a health goalIn EPA’s and Montana’s records for this utility. They don’t cover everything, which is why the next step matters.Every contaminant TapBuff tracks
- Get the utility’s own reportPablo Lake County Water and Sewer Dist 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
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded