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Community Water System · PWS MD0200006

Town of St. Michaels

St Michaels, Maryland 21663 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 2,650 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

2,650
People served
88
EPA violations
31
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 88 drinking-water violations at Town of St. Michaels, 35% of them health-based - above the Maryland per-system average.

88
Total EPA violations on record
35%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
2,650
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Town of St. Michaels

Town of St. Michaels is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 2,650 residents in St Michaels, Maryland (Talbot County) through 1,300 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 88 total violations for this system , of which 31 (35%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 48 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Arsenic, recorded in 31 violations (MCL, health-based). 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 St. Michaels's 88 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
2,650
Total Violations
88
Health-Based Violations
31
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
1,300
County
Talbot
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
31
Monitoring Violations
48
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Arsenic MCL 31 2022
Lead and Copper Rule MR 10 2017
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2021
Arsenic MR 5 2018
Thallium, Total MR 3 1996
Cadmium MR 3 1996
Chromium MR 3 1996
Nickel MR 3 1996
Beryllium, Total MR 3 1996
Barium MR 3 1996
Selenium MR 3 1996
Mercury MR 3 1996
Antimony, Total MR 3 1996
Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 2 2008
Fluoride MR 2 1996
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 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 St. Michaels.

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 MD0200006 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
2022 Arsenic MCL 31 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1005
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 7000
2018 Arsenic MR 5 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1005
2017 Lead and Copper Rule MR 10 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 5000
2008 Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule MR 2 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 0600
1996 Thallium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1085
1996 Cadmium MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1015
1996 Chromium MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1020
1996 Nickel MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1036
1996 Beryllium, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1075
1996 Barium MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1010
1996 Selenium MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1045
1996 Mercury MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1035
1996 Antimony, Total MR 3 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1074
1996 Fluoride MR 2 SDWIS / MD0200006 / 1025

How Town of St. Michaels Compares

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

Metric Town of St. Michaels Maryland avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 88 18.8 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 31 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 2,650 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 St. Michaels water safe to drink? ▼
Town of St. Michaels (PWS ID: MD0200006) has 88 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 2,650 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Town of St. Michaels serve? ▼
Town of St. Michaels serves 2,650 people in St Michaels, Maryland. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 1,300 service connections.
What type of violations does Town of St. Michaels have? ▼
Town of St. Michaels has 88 total violations: 31 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 48 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Town of St. Michaels water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Town of St. Michaels under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Town of St. Michaels use? ▼
Town of St. Michaels 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.
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.