Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES MT0031801
TOWN OF COLUMBUS - WASTE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY, Columbus, MT: NPDES MT0031801 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties
- Administratively continuedPermit status
- MinorDischarger class
- 20Pollutants under a numeric limit
- 7Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
TOWN OF COLUMBUS - WASTE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY, held by TOWN OF COLUMBUS, holds NPDES permit MT0031801, which discharges to Yellowstone River. EPA’s file records it issued November 30, 2017 and expiring December 31, 2022. The status and dates are as EPA’s permit file stood when Velarion loaded it (October 14, 2026); EPA’s free Detailed Facility Report on ECHO carries the permit’s current standing.
Identity
| Facility as filed | TOWN OF COLUMBUS - WASTE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY |
|---|---|
| Permittee as filed | TOWN OF COLUMBUS |
| NPDES ID | MT0031801 |
| 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 | November 30, 2017 |
| Expiration date | December 31, 2022 |
| Address | Columbus, MT 59019 |
| Receiving water | YELLOWSTONE RIVER |
| Subwatershed | Yellowstone River-Bearpaw Creek (HUC 100700040401) |
| SIC | 4952 – Sewerage Systems |
Cited to the EPA ICIS-NPDES permit file (ECHO download) and EPA’s NAICS/SIC and component files, the same download.
Effluent limits and exceedances
- 20Pollutants on file
- 20Under a numeric limit
- 14With a violation of any kind
- 7With 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. coli, MTEC-MF | 4 | 78 | 73 | January 31, 2026 | 7,924% over the limit |
| BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] | 5 | 30 | 10 | May 31, 2021 | 105% over the limit |
| pH | 2 | 20 | 6 | May 31, 2026 | |
| Solids, suspended percent removal | 1 | 7 | 5 | June 30, 2026 | 185% over the limit |
| Solids, total suspended | 5 | 7 | 3 | May 31, 2020 | 5% over the limit |
| Pass/Fail Static Renewal 96Hr Acute Pimephales Promelas | 2 | 3 | 1 | June 30, 2023 | |
| BOD, carbonaceous, percent removal | 1 | 3 | 1 | June 30, 2019 | 20% over the limit |
| Flow rate | 2 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Oil and grease visual | 1 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Oil and grease, hexane extr method | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Pass/Fail Static 48Hr Acute Ceriodaphnia dubia | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Iron, total recoverable | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Nickel, total recoverable | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Copper, total recoverable | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, total [as N] | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Phosphorus, total [as P] | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nitrogen, Kjeldahl, total [as N] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nitrite + Nitrate total [as N] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Pass/Fail Static Renewal 48Hr Acute Ceriodaphnia dubia | 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
- 4Single-event violations
| Date | What EPA recorded | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| February 20, 2020 | Reporting Violations - Failure to submit required report (non-DMR non-pretreatment) | ST6 |
| February 20, 2020 | Reporting Violations - Improper/ Incorrect Reporting | ST6 |
| February 20, 2020 | Monitoring Violations - Analysis not Conducted | ST6 |
| February 20, 2020 | Management Practice Violations - Failure to Maintain Records | 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 MT0031801 there.
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- Every permit record in Montana, A to Z
Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded October 14, 2026.