Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES MT0020036
COLUMBIA FALLS WWTP, Columbia Falls, MT: NPDES MT0020036 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties
- Administratively continuedPermit status
- MinorDischarger class
- 20Pollutants under a numeric limit
- 3Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
COLUMBIA FALLS WWTP, held by CITY OF COLUMBIA FALLS, holds NPDES permit MT0020036, which discharges to Flathead River. EPA’s file records it issued June 2, 2017 and expiring July 31, 2022. The status and dates are as EPA’s permit file stood when Velarion loaded it (September 14, 2026); EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO carries the permit’s current standing.
Identity
| Facility as filed | COLUMBIA FALLS WWTP |
|---|---|
| Permittee as filed | CITY OF COLUMBIA FALLS |
| NPDES ID | MT0020036 |
| Permit status | Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued) |
| Permit type | Individual permit |
| Discharger class | Minor discharger |
| Facility type | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Program | Publicly owned treatment works |
| Issued | June 2, 2017 |
| Expiration date | July 31, 2022 |
| Address | Columbia Falls, MT 59912 |
| Receiving water | FLATHEAD RIVER |
| Subwatershed | Flathead River-Goodwich Bayou (HUC 170102080103) |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download).
Effluent limits and exceedances
- 21Pollutants on file
- 20Under a numeric limit
- 7With a violation of any kind
- 3With an effluent exceedance
An effluent exceedance is a discharge monitoring report value over the permit’s numeric limit (EPA’s violation code E90). A violation of any kind also counts a report not filed. Each row is EPA’s own count for that pollutant.
| Pollutant or measure | Limits | Violations, any kind | Effluent exceedances | Latest exceedance | Largest exceedance, as filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen, total [as N] | 4 | 8 | 6 | March 31, 2019 | 45% over the limit |
| Phosphorus, total [as P] | 2 | 5 | 4 | September 30, 2012 | 68% over the limit |
| E. coli, MTEC-MF | 4 | 2 | 2 | June 30, 2013 | 63% over the limit |
| Aluminum, dissolved [as Al] | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Solids, total suspended | 5 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Oil & Grease | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Zinc, total recoverable | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cadmium, total recoverable | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Lead, total recoverable | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Copper, total recoverable | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Temperature, water deg. centigrade | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Flow rate | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| pH | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Oil and grease, hexane extr method | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, Kjeldahl, total [as N] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nitrite + Nitrate total [as N] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Hardness, total [as CaCO3] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BOD, carbonaceous, percent removal | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Solids, suspended percent removal | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES limits and effluent violations files (ECHO download); up to 60 rows shown, most exceedances first.
Inspections, violations and enforcement
- 2Single-event violations
| Date | What EPA recorded | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| December 10, 2024 | Reporting Violations - Improper/ Incorrect Reporting | ST6 |
| January 20, 2021 | Monitoring Violations - Invalid/Unrepresentative Sample | ST6 |
Velarion’s copy of EPA’s ICIS-NPDES files does not include the inspections, formal enforcement actions and informal enforcement actions files, so this page shows none of them. EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO lists this permit’s inspections, enforcement actions and penalties.
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES violation, inspection and enforcement files (ECHO download); up to 50 rows of each shown, newest first.
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EPA publishes a free Detailed Facility Report for every permit on ECHO: its compliance status quarter by quarter, its inspections, and its enforcement actions and penalties. EPA also sends free notices of new inspections and enforcement actions through ECHO Notify; enter NPDES ID MT0020036 there.
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Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded September 14, 2026.