New Design – Frederick County Water System water quality
Frederick, MD · serves 74,911 people (22,869 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID MD0100030
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
- Detected, below limit1 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Out of dateEPA's national database has no lead results for this system since 2019 (then 3 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 New Design – Frederick County 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 (301) 600-3409. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Jan 2025 to Oct 2025. "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 | – |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 0.82 ppt |
29 PFAS tested, 1 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3 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 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Jun 2019 | 2 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 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2002 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Dec 1999 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 1996 – Dec 1998 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1995 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1994 – Dec 1994 | 5 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 | 63.4 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.4 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.32 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 467 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Frederick, Green Valley, Ballenger Creek, Linganore, Point of Rocks
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 21701, 21703, 21704, 21710, 21754, 21770, 21774, 21777, 21790
Nearby utilities
- City of Frederick Frederick · same area
- Town of Middletown Middletown · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Thurmont Thurmont · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Mount Airy Mount Airy · 14 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Poolesville Poolesville · 20 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Taneytown Taneytown · 20 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is New Design – Frederick County Water System water safe to drink?
New Design – Frederick County 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 New Design – Frederick County Water System water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of New Design – Frederick County Water System found 1 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in New Design – Frederick County Water System water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for New Design – Frederick County Water System is 3 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 MD0100030: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID MD0100030).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask New Design – Frederick County Water System at (301) 600-3409, 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.