Fort George G. Meade Water System water quality
Fort Meade, MD · serves 62,234 people (10,000 connections) · Groundwater · Federal · EPA ID MD0020012
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Summary
No limits exceeded in the data EPA has, but the record is incomplete: no lead results since 2019.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 2 samples (2023–2025).
- Lead
- Out of dateEPA's national database has no lead results for this system since 2019 (then 0 ppb, 90th percentile). Systems this size normally test every one to three years, so this most likely means newer results were not reported to EPA, not that testing stopped. Ask the utility for its latest results.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Fort George G. Meade Water System's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (410) 695-5635. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Apr 2023 to Oct 2023. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 2 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 0 ppb lead (Jul 2019 – Dec 2019). No results since 2019
This is the newest lead result in EPA's national database. Utilities report lead results to their state, and states pass them to EPA. Gaps like this usually mean the newer results did not reach EPA's database, not that the utility stopped testing. Results this old may not reflect the water today. Ask the utility or your state drinking water program for the latest lead monitoring.
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | -2 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2001 – Dec 2001 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2000 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 1999 – Dec 1999 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Jun 1999 | 10 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 2 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 300 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.06 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.0095 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Fort Meade
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 20755
Nearby utilities
- Crofton-Odenton Water System Odenton · 4 mi
- Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Laurel · 6 mi
- Glen Burnie-Broadneck Water System Glen Burnie · 8 mi
- Howard County Dept. of Public Works Distribution Columbia · 9 mi
- City of Baltimore Baltimore · 15 mi
- City of Rockville Rockville · 22 mi
Questions
Is Fort George G. Meade Water System water safe to drink?
Fort George G. Meade Water System has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Fort George G. Meade Water System water have PFAS?
EPA tested Fort George G. Meade Water System for 29 PFAS between Apr 2023 and Oct 2023 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Fort George G. Meade Water System water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Fort George G. Meade Water System is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2019, which is more than five years old. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for MD0020012: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MD0020012).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Fort George G. Meade Water System at (410) 695-5635, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.