Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Charles County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records

Charles County, Maryland: 2 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Across the county's systems

Highest result for each contaminant

One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.

Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest3.1 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest5.1 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6 ng/L
28 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 2 systems: TOWN OF LA PLATA, WALDORF - CHARLES COUNTY DPW

  • 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
  • 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
  • 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
  • Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
  • Lead (90th percentile)
  • Lithium
  • N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
  • N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
  • Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
  • Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
  • Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
  • Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
  • Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
  • Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
  • Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
2 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 2 of 2 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.

PFAS in Charles CountyPFAS detected in 1 of 2 cities; none had a sample above a 2024 EPA limit
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in Maryland
Lead

0of 2 cities above the 15 µg/L action level

Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.

Lead in Maryland
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. WaldorfWALDORF - CHARLES COUNTY DPW · MD0080049
    84,296 served
  2. La PlataTOWN OF LA PLATA · MD0080025
    11,535 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Charles County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Charles County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Waldorf's main water system: WALDORF - CHARLES COUNTY DPW · PWSID MD0080049 · Purity Score 100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Charles County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

None of the 2 Charles County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. PFAS were detected below the limit in 1.

Is there lead in Charles County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 0 of 2 Charles County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

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