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Is Missoula Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Yes! Generally Safe to Drink*

LAST UPDATED: 7:47 pm, July 21, 2022
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Table of Contents

Can You Drink Tap Water in Missoula?

Yes, Missoula's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as Missoula has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page or the city's water provider website.

According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, Missoula's water utility, Missoula Water, had 0 violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for Missoula was resolved on June 30, 2017. This assessment is based on the Missoula Water water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.

While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.

The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.

Missoula Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years

Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named Missoula Water for Missoula in Montana. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.

From April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017, Missoula had 2 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring, Regular which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Radionuclides rule code family for the following contaminant codes: Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U, Combined Radium (-226 and -228).

From April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017, Missoula had 23 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring, Regular which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Synthetic Organic Chemicals rule code family for the following contaminant codes: Endrin, BHC-GAMMA, Methoxychlor, Toxaphene, Dalapon, OXAMYL, Simazine, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Picloram, Dinoseb, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Carbofuran, Atrazine, LASSO, Heptachlor, 2,4-D, HEXACHLOROBENZENE, Benzo(a)pyrene, Pentachlorophenol, Chlordane, Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, 2,4,5-TP, Heptachlor epoxide.

From July 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2014, Missoula had 2 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring, Regular which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Radionuclides rule code family for the following contaminant codes: Combined Radium (-226 and -228), Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U.

Is there Lead in Missoula Water?

Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the Missoula water system, Missoula Water, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.002 mg/L of lead in Missoula water. This is 13.3% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from Missoula contained more lead.

While Missoula water testing may have found 0.002 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.

No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.

Are there PFAS in Missoula Tap Water?

Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be no military bases near Missoula with suspected leaks.

With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if Missoula has been evaluated for yet.

Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.

Missoula SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years

Compliance Period Status Health-Based? Category Code Code Rule Code Contaminant Code Rule Group Code Rule Family Code
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Radionuclides (340) Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U (4000) Chemicals (300) Radionuclides (340)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Endrin (2005) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) BHC-GAMMA (2010) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Methoxychlor (2015) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Toxaphene (2020) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Dalapon (2031) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) OXAMYL (2036) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Simazine (2037) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (2039) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Picloram (2040) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Dinoseb (2041) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Hexachlorocyclopentadiene (2042) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Carbofuran (2046) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Atrazine (2050) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) LASSO (2051) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Heptachlor (2065) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) 2,4-D (2105) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) HEXACHLOROBENZENE (2274) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Benzo(a)pyrene (2306) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Pentachlorophenol (2326) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Chlordane (2959) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (2035) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) 2,4,5-TP (2110) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Radionuclides (340) Combined Radium (-226 and -228) (4010) Chemicals (300) Radionuclides (340)
04/01/2017 - 06/30/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320) Heptachlor epoxide (2067) Chemicals (300) Synthetic Organic Chemicals (320)
07/01/2014 - 09/30/2014 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Radionuclides (340) Combined Radium (-226 and -228) (4010) Chemicals (300) Radionuclides (340)
07/01/2014 - 09/30/2014 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Radionuclides (340) Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U (4000) Chemicals (300) Radionuclides (340)

What do these Violations Mean?

Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.

Health Based Violations

  1. Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
  2. Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
  3. Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.

Non-Health Based Violations

  1. Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
  2. Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
  3. Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.

SDWA Table Key

Field Description
Compliance Period Dates of the compliance period.
Status Current status of the violation.
  • Resolved - The violation has at least one resolving enforcement action. In SDWIS, this indicates that either the system has returned to compliance from the violation, the rule that was violated was no longer applicable, or no further action was needed.
  • Archived - The violation is not Resolved, but is more than five years past its compliance period end date. In keeping with the Enforcement Response Policy, the violation no longer contributes to the public water system's overall compliance status. Unresolved violations are also marked as Archived when a system ceases operations (becomes inactive).
  • Addressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and is addressed by one or more formal enforcement actions.
  • Unaddressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and has not been addressed by formal enforcement.
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Health-Based? Whether the violation is health based.
Category Code
The category of violation that is reported.
  • TT - Treatment Technique Violation
  • MRDL - Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level
  • Other - Other Violation
  • MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level Violation
  • MR - Monitoring and Reporting
  • MON - Monitoring Violation
  • RPT - Reporting Violation
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Code A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table.
Contaminant Code A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation.
Rule Code Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rule
  • 121 - Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 122 - Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 123 - Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Ground Water Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 331 - Nitrates
  • 332 - Arsenic
  • 333 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 111 - Revised Total Coliform Rule
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Rule Group Code Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
  • 120 - Surface Water Treatment Rules
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Groundwater Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 330 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rules
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
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Rule Family Code Code for rule family.
  • 100 - Microbials
  • 200 - Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 300 - Chemicals
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
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For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.

Missoula Water - Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I CONTACT MISSOULA CUSTOMER SERVICE?
To contact customer service for the Missoula water provider, Missoula Water, please use the information below.
By Mail: 1345 W BROADWAY
MISSOULA, MT, 59802
HOW TO PAY BILL FOR MISSOULA WATER
Already have an account?

Existing customers can login to their Missoula Water account to pay their Missoula water bill by clicking here.

Want to create a new account?

If you want to pay your Missoula Water bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your Missoula water bill.

Want to pay without an account?

If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your Missoula water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.

HOW TO START & STOP MISSOULA WATER SERVICE
Starting Your Service

Moving to a new house or apartment in Missoula means you will often need to put the water in your name with Missoula Water. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.

Start Service Form

Want to create a new account?

Leaving your house or apartment in Missoula means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with Missoula Water. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.

Stop Service Form

Is Missoula Tap Water Safe to Drink? Tap water & safety quality

The estimated price of bottled water

$1.79 in USD (1.5-liter)

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

Missoula tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 7% Very Low
  • Water Pollution 23% Low
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 93% Very High
  • Water Quality 77% High

The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Missoula, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).

Related FAQS

Contaminants


Mountain Water Company

EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.

Utility details

  • Serves: 56335
  • Data available: 2012-2017
  • Data Source: Groundwater
  • Total: 22

Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines

  • Arsenic
  • Chromium (hexavalent)
  • Nitrate and nitrite
  • Radium%2C combined (-226 & -228)
  • Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

Other Detected Contaminants

  • Barium
  • Bromodichloromethane
  • Bromoform
  • Chlorate
  • Chloroform
  • Chromium (total)
  • Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
  • Dibromoacetic acid
  • Dibromochloromethane
  • Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)
  • Fluoride
  • Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
  • Manganese
  • Molybdenum
  • Strontium
  • Uranium
  • Vanadium

Reminder

Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.

Sources and Resources

Yes, Missoula’s tap water is generally considered safe to drink as it met the EPA’s water quality mandates in its 2020 Water Quality Report. From April 1, 2018, to June 30, 2021, Missoula’s Mountain Water Company has had no Safe Drinking Water Act Violation. One should not get sick from drinking Moab tap water. 

Though Missoula’s tap water is generally safe to drink, one should consider the possible safety impacts of low levels of regulated contaminants, unregulated contaminants, and water quality issues caused by severe weather.

While Missoula’s tap water is generally safe to drink, long-term residents may consider using water filters for their everyday drinking, as the EPA is still assessing the health impacts of long-term exposure to certain contaminants that they do not yet have regulations for, and long term exposure to certain contaminants which are already regulated, but below the current acceptable levels. 

Where Does Moab Tap Water Come From?

According to Missoula’s 2020 Water Quality Report, Mountain Water Company obtains water for its customers from the city aquifer:

The water provided to the Missoula Valley comes from thirty-seven groundwater wells that draw water from the valley’s groundwater aquifer. This aquifer is recharged by runoff from precipitation and snowmelt. In an effort to provide the customer with the safest possible product, we disinfect the water at each well with chlorine. As pursuant to ARM 17.38.229, a small amount of chlorine is added to the water to protect it from contamination as it travels through water mains and to the customer’s home. Missoula Water does not add fluoride to the water.

Main Contaminants Found in Missoula Tap Water

As we mentioned above, Missoula tap water meets the requirements set by the EPA. For more precise information please see their 2020 Water Quality Report. Though Missoula drinking water meets EPA standards that does not mean it is contaminant free as there are levels that the EPA considers acceptable. Though the EPA regulated contaminants must meet a certain threshold for the city’s water to be deemed acceptable, many are still present in the drinking water at some level. The EPA continues to evaluate the long term impacts of these chemicals as more research is available. For example, the rules around arsenic, as well as, lead and copper are currently being re-evaluated.

Additionally, there are a number of “emerging” contaminants that the EPA has not determined acceptable levels for and is currently researching. For example, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), for which the EPA has issued a health advisory. PFAS are also called ‘forever chemicals’ since they tend not to break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time. We do not yet fully understand the dangers of PFAS as they are currently being investigated. We do not have any information on PFAS in Missoula’s drink water, so there may be a risk of contamination.

Lead piping is another potential source of contamination for many homes, both through service lines and in your home. The National Resource Defense Council has a great walk-through on how to determine if you may have lead service lines.

So while Missoula’s tap water does meet the requirements set by the EPA, it still makes sense to try to purify the tap water further to reduce contaminants to lower levels.

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