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Community Water System · PWS MD0100010

Town of Emmitsburg

Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 2,400 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,400
People served
66
EPA violations
12
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 66 drinking-water violations at Town of Emmitsburg, 18% of them health-based - above the Maryland per-system average.

66
Total EPA violations on record
18%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,400
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Town of Emmitsburg

Town of Emmitsburg is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,400 residents in Emmitsburg, Maryland (Frederick County) through 1,209 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 66 total violations for this system , of which 12 (18%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 38 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Revised Total Coliform Rule, recorded in 15 violations (MON). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

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. Statewide, 50 of 83 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (60.2%).

Town of Emmitsburg's 66 violations sit above the Maryland average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
2,400
Total Violations
66
Health-Based Violations
12
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,209
County
Frederick
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
38
Treatment Tech Violations
12

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 15 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 13 2010
Lead and Copper Rule TT 8 2001
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 2016
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2013
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 4 2001
Chlorine MR 4 2013
Nitrate MR 1 1993

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 Town of Emmitsburg.

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 MD0100010 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
2024 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 15 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 8000
2016 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 5000
2013 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 7000
2013 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 0999
2010 Coliform (TCR) MR 13 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 3100
2001 Lead and Copper Rule TT 8 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 5000
2001 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 4 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 0200
1993 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / MD0100010 / 1040

How Town of Emmitsburg Compares

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

Metric Town of Emmitsburg Maryland avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 66 18.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 12 5.6 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 60.2% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 2,400 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 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Town of Emmitsburg water safe to drink? ▼
Town of Emmitsburg (PWS ID: MD0100010) has 66 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,400 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Town of Emmitsburg serve? ▼
Town of Emmitsburg serves 2,400 people in Emmitsburg, Maryland. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 1,209 service connections.
What type of violations does Town of Emmitsburg have? ▼
Town of Emmitsburg has 66 total violations: 12 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 38 monitoring/reporting violations, and 12 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Town of Emmitsburg water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Town of Emmitsburg under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Town of Emmitsburg use? ▼
Town of Emmitsburg uses Surface Water 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.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

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

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.