PlainWater
States → Maryland

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER

PWS ID: MD0090002 · CAMBRIDGE, Maryland 21613

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER serves 15,000 people in CAMBRIDGE, Maryland using Groundwater water sources. It has 6 recorded EPA violations, including 0 health-based violations. PFAS "forever chemicals" were detected in UCMR5 testing (1 compound found).

Water Quality Snapshot: CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 15,000 residents in CAMBRIDGE, Maryland (Dorchester County) through 5,125 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 6 total violations for this system , of which 0 (0%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 2 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2013.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Consumer Confidence Rule, recorded in 2 violations (Other). Under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, 1 PFAS compound was detected in samples collected from this system, with a maximum reported concentration of 16.1 ppt. PFAS are persistent synthetic chemicals linked to health effects at very low exposure levels.

Across Maryland, EPA tracks 3,215 public water systems serving 6,070,211 people, with 60,496 cumulative violations and 18,132 health-based violations on record. About 80% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 18.8 violations. CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER's 6 violations sit below the Maryland average. Statewide, 50 of 83 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (60.2%). All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

PFAS Detected

1 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.

Population Served
15,000
Total Violations
6
Health-Based Violations
0
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
5,125
County
Dorchester
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
2
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2013
Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 1993

PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)

Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 6 of 240 samples detected PFAS.

Contaminant Date Result MRL Status
PFNA 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
lithium 8/13/2024 <9 µg/L 9 µg/L Not Detected
PFHpS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFTA 8/13/2024 <0.008 µg/L 0.008 µg/L Not Detected
PFTrDA 8/13/2024 <0.007 µg/L 0.007 µg/L Not Detected
NEtFOSAA 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
NMeFOSAA 8/13/2024 <0.006 µg/L 0.006 µg/L Not Detected
PFBS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHxS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFOS 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFOA 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFDA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFDoA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHxA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFUnA 8/13/2024 <0.002 µg/L 0.002 µg/L Not Detected
PFEESA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHpA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
NFDHA 8/13/2024 <0.02 µg/L 0.02 µg/L Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFMBA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFPeA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFMPA 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
8:2 FTS 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
4:2 FTS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
6:2 FTS 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFBA 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
HFPO-DA 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
ADONA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 8/13/2024 <0.002 µg/L 0.002 µg/L Not Detected
PFPeS 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
4:2 FTS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFTrDA 8/13/2024 <0.007 µg/L 0.007 µg/L Not Detected
NMeFOSAA 8/13/2024 <0.006 µg/L 0.006 µg/L Not Detected
PFBS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHpA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFHxS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFNA 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFOS 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS 8/13/2024 <0.002 µg/L 0.002 µg/L Not Detected
ADONA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
HFPO-DA 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFHpS 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFBA 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
lithium 8/13/2024 <9 µg/L 9 µg/L Not Detected
6:2 FTS 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFTA 8/13/2024 <0.008 µg/L 0.008 µg/L Not Detected
8:2 FTS 8/13/2024 <0.005 µg/L 0.005 µg/L Not Detected
PFMPA 8/13/2024 <0.004 µg/L 0.004 µg/L Not Detected
PFPeA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected
PFMBA 8/13/2024 <0.003 µg/L 0.003 µg/L Not Detected

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records — or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status — go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS — Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID MD0090002 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Maryland Drinking Water Authority

Maryland's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find MD regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2013 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / MD0090002 / 7000
1993 Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 SDWIS / MD0090002 / 5000

How CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER Maryland avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 6 18.8 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 0 5.6 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection 1 compound 60.2% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 15,000 1,888 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 3,215 regulated public water systems in Maryland.

Federal MCL reference — Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER water safe to drink? ▼
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER (PWS ID: MD0090002) has 6 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. PFAS contamination has been detected in UCMR5 testing, with 1 PFAS compound found. This system serves 15,000 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER serve? ▼
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER serves 15,000 people in CAMBRIDGE, Maryland. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 5,125 service connections.
What type of violations does CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER have? ▼
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER has 6 total violations: 0 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 2 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER water? ▼
Yes. UCMR5 testing detected 1 PFAS compound in CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER's water supply: lithium. PFAS are persistent "forever chemicals" that do not break down in the environment.
What water source does CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER use? ▼
CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WATER uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Explore PlainWater

Water in Maryland

All systems in state
All States

Water quality by state
Contaminants

PFAS & other pollutants
Guides

Understanding water quality

Related Data for Maryland

Environmental Data → Natural Hazards → Air Quality → Healthcare Access → Climate Data →
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. PFAS data from EPA UCMR5 monitoring program (2023-2025). This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →
Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by Kiznis Studio Editorial