Ranch Co Water & Sewer Dist the
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
- 90 people
- Connections
- 41
- Water source
- Groundwater
- Based in
- Bigfork - Lake Co, MT
- County
- Flathead
- Owner
- Local government
The ZIP code it serves
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. No health-based violations on file since 2016.
What was found
Nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, chromium (total) and total trihalomethanes (TTHM): Montana’s own results, samples taken from Dec. 15, 2020 to May 11, 2023, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Below EPA’s limits2
Nitrate
Comes from the source
1.2ppm
Highest sample; found in 2 of 2
2023, one sample: 0.71 ppm
The highest sample, in 2020, was 1.2 ppm, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. In 2023, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.71 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.76 ppm, in 2016.
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
0.16ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
2023, one sample: 0.14 ppm
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.16 ppm, in 2020, below EPA’s legal limit of 4.0 ppm. In 2023, the latest year on file, its one sample was 0.14 ppm. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 0.15 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Fluoride Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Fluoride”
4 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)
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. Nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, chromium (total) and total trihalomethanes (TTHM) results here are Montana’s own from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Ranch Co Water & Sewer Dist the’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. 15, 2020 to May 11, 2023.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs Montana certifies closest to the area Ranch Co Water & Sewer Dist the 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 37 miles
Certified for bacteria
Montana Environmental Laboratory
Kalispell, MT · about 45 miles
Certified for bacteria, minerals and other inorganics
Missoula CCHD Water Lab
Missoula, MT · about 58 miles
Certified for bacteria
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 MT0003076. 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 reportRanch Co Water & Sewer Dist the 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