Chloride in Montana well water
In Montana, chloride was detected in 100% of 29,009 tested private well samples.
Chloride mainly comes from road salt and water softener discharge. Above 250 mg/L water tastes salty and corrodes plumbing. Rising chloride in a well usually means road salt is reaching the aquifer.
Check your chloride number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Montana well for chloride
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove chloride
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For chloride
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where to get a well tested for chloride in Montana: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Horn | no limit | 686 | 100% | 13 | 7,900 mg/L |
| Beaverhead | no limit | 165 | 100% | 10.6 | 130 mg/L |
| Broadwater | no limit | 89 | 100% | 17 | 136 mg/L |
| Carbon | no limit | 78 | 100% | 6 | 368 mg/L |
| Blaine | no limit | 135 | 100% | 4.5 | 3,000 mg/L |
| Cascade | no limit | 69 | 100% | 17 | 630 mg/L |
| Chouteau | no limit | 63 | 100% | 64 | 1,500 mg/L |
| Custer | no limit | 143 | 100% | 14 | 168 mg/L |
| Daniels | no limit | 52 | 100% | 7.1 | 45,100 mg/L |
| Dawson | no limit | 131 | 100% | 7.4 | 80,000 mg/L |
| Carter | no limit | 44 | 100% | 4.3 | 220 mg/L |
| Fallon | no limit | 93 | 100% | 9.2 | 33,700 mg/L |
| Fergus | no limit | 206 | 100% | 5.2 | 2,900 mg/L |
| Flathead | no limit | 115 | 100% | 2.2 | 250 mg/L |
| Garfield | no limit | 52 | 100% | 13.5 | 1,970 mg/L |
- Stanford CCD, Judith Basin County100% detected of 57
- Geyser CCD, Judith Basin County100% detected of 32
- Glacier National Park CCD, Glacier County100% detected of 32
- Dillon CCD, Beaverhead County100% detected of 89
- Big Hole Basin CCD, Beaverhead County100% detected of 46
- Glacier National Park CCD, Flathead County100% detected of 44
- Fort Peck Reservation CCD, Valley County100% detected of 76
- Fort Peck Reservation CCD, Roosevelt County100% detected of 279
- Opheim CCD, Valley County100% detected of 32
- Anaconda CCD, Deer Lodge County100% detected of 41
- Fort Belknap CCD, Blaine County100% detected of 104
- Troy CCD, Lincoln County100% detected of 40
- Libby CCD, Lincoln County100% detected of 94
- Chester CCD, Liberty County100% detected of 40
- Missoula CCD, Missoula County100% detected of 36
- Broadus CCD, Powder River County100% detected of 68
- East Powder River CCD, Powder River County100% detected of 39
- South of the Yellowstone CCD, Sweet Grass County100% detected of 40
- Cut Bank CCD, Glacier County100% detected of 51
- Townsend West CCD, Broadwater County100% detected of 52
Sources
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. chloride counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.