PurityMap
Search city, ZIP, contaminant⌘KFind my water
Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

Maryland Water Quality: 29 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 29 cities in Maryland, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What Maryland's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict. 1 city has a past health-based violation on record.

PFAS above a 2024 limit

MCL

4of 29 cities

Cities whose system reported a PFAS above its federal limit.

PFOS in Maryland →
City rankings

Maryland cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    Washington Suburban SanitaryWASHINGTON SUBURBAN SANITARY COMMISSION · MD0150005
    Report →
  2. 2
    Glen Burnie-BroadneckGLEN BURNIE-BROADNECK · MD0020017
    Report →
  3. 3
    Harford County D P WHARFORD COUNTY D.P.W. · MD0120016
    Report →
  4. 4
    Waldorf - Charles CountyWALDORF - CHARLES COUNTY DPW · MD0080049
    Report →
  5. 5
    Crofton-OdentonCROFTON-ODENTON · MD0020008
    Report →
  6. 6
    RockvilleCITY OF ROCKVILLE · MD0150003
    Report →
  7. 7
    Lexington ParkLEXINGTON PARK · MD0180007
    Report →
  8. 8
    Broad CreekBROAD CREEK · MD0020004
    Report →
  9. 9
    Chapel Hill - Aberdeen Proving GroundsCHAPEL HILL - ABERDEEN PROVING GROUNDS · MD0120002
    Report →
  10. 10
    La PlataTOWN OF LA PLATA · MD0080025
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 29 scored cities.

See all 29 in the table

29 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Washington Suburban Sanitary
    WASHINGTON SUBURBAN SANITARY COMMISSION · PWSID MD0150005 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  2. 2Glen Burnie-Broadneck
    GLEN BURNIE-BROADNECK · PWSID MD0020017 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  3. 3Harford County D P W
    HARFORD COUNTY D.P.W. · PWSID MD0120016 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  4. 4Waldorf - Charles County
    WALDORF - CHARLES COUNTY DPW · PWSID MD0080049 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  5. 5Crofton-Odenton
    CROFTON-ODENTON · PWSID MD0020008 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  6. 6Rockville
    CITY OF ROCKVILLE · PWSID MD0150003 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  7. 7Lexington Park
    LEXINGTON PARK · PWSID MD0180007 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  8. 8Broad Creek
    BROAD CREEK · PWSID MD0020004 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  9. 9Chapel Hill - Aberdeen Proving Grounds
    CHAPEL HILL - ABERDEEN PROVING GROUNDS · PWSID MD0120002 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  10. 10La Plata
    TOWN OF LA PLATA · PWSID MD0080025 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  11. 11Frostburg
    CITY OF FROSTBURG · PWSID MD0010011 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  12. 12Hagerstown
    CITY OF HAGERSTOWN · PWSID MD0210010 · Purity Score 99/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detected; lead 0.8 µg/LDetected
Showing 12 of 29.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state 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. See how Maryland compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS and lead in Maryland

Counties

Maryland counties

16 counties with city reports
Show all 16 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

All water systems →
Full indexAll 29 Maryland city reports, A–Z
Next step

State patterns can’t tell you what reaches your tap.

Find my water
Learn

Learn your supplier

Resolve your address to the one public water system that serves it.

Find my water →
Test

Test your own tap

Plumbing inside a building can add lead and change what reaches your glass.

How to test →
Solve

Treat by concern

Only after a city report names a finding, match a treatment certified for it.

Treatment options →
Questions

Maryland water, frequently asked

FOLLOW MARYLAND WATER RECORDS

Get Maryland updates

We'll email you when Maryland records change, such as new PFAS or lead results.

Double opt-in: we email a confirmation link. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam.

How does Maryland tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 29 cities in Maryland 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 Washington Suburban Sanitary's main water system: WASHINGTON SUBURBAN SANITARY COMMISSION · PWSID MD0150005 · 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 Maryland cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

4 cities of 29 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Elkton (PFOA 23.3 ng/L), Salisbury (PFOS 20 ng/L), Westminster (PFOA 12.4 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 13.

Is there lead in Maryland tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 12 of 29 Maryland 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.

Have Maryland water systems had drinking-water violations?

1 city in Maryland has a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error