Community Water System · PWS MD0300002
City of Baltimore
Operator location Baltimore, Maryland - 27% of 73 violations are health-based (upper-third health share (> 23%)); surface water source; 1,600,000 served per SDWIS.
- 1,600,000
- People served (this PWS) Larger third of systems
- 73
- EPA violations (this PWS) Middle third of systems
- 20
- Health-based (this PWS) Upper third by health-based share
- 1 PFAS
- UCMR5 (this PWS) Lower third of PFAS-detected systems
City of Baltimore standing, mid SDWIS violation third
27% of 73 recorded violations are health-based - upper-third health share (> 23%). Corpus terciles use 29,740 systems serving 500+ (the sitemap cohort). Health-based share 27% is upper-third health share (> 23%). UCMR5: lower-third PFAS panel (≤ 2 compounds). Population rank #10 of 29,740 among systems serving 500+.
The verdict
City of Baltimore lands in the middle third by violation volume (73), large enough for peer comparisons without matching the fleet's heaviest ledgers. Population served is large (1,600,000; larger served population (> 3,309)), so household exposure scale sits behind the violation mix. Health-based share is 27% - most of this ledger is MCL or treatment-technique exceedance. UCMR5 detected 1 PFAS compound (lower-third PFAS panel (≤ 2 compounds)).
- #10 of 29,740
- Population · /systems
- #2 of 437
- Population · MD
- 73
- Total EPA violations on record
- 27%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
Population ordinals match the sitemap cohort (systems serving 500+, population_served DESC). See methodology · corpus placement.
1 PFAS "forever chemicals" detected in testing under EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
Based on EPA SDWIS violation history and UCMR5 PFAS testing only, not water taste, odor, infrastructure age, or contaminants outside the federally tracked set.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 424,600
- County
- Baltimore city
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 13
- Monitoring Violations
- 43
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 7
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | MCL | 9 | 2016 |
| Chlordane | MR | 8 | 2023 |
| Toxaphene | MR | 8 | 2023 |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | MCL | 4 | 2022 |
| Nitrate | MR | 4 | 2023 |
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | TT | 4 | 2000 |
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | TT | 3 | 2009 |
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | MR | 2 | 2007 |
| Public Notice | Other | 2 | 2022 |
| cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Xylenes, Total | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| o-Dichlorobenzene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| p-Dichlorobenzene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Vinyl chloride | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| 1,1-Dichloroethylene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| 1,2-Dichloroethane | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| 1,2-Dichloropropane | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Trichloroethylene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Tetrachloroethylene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Benzene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Toluene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Ethylbenzene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| CHLOROBENZENE | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| 1,1,1-Trichloroethane | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| DICHLOROMETHANE | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| Styrene | MR | 1 | 2015 |
| 1,1,2-Trichloroethane | MR | 1 | 2015 |
Violation Count vs. the National Corpus
City of Baltimore has 73 recorded EPA violations, 66% of the 29,740 public water systems serving 500+ people nationwide carry fewer, and 34% carry more. 27% of this system's own violations are health-based (20 of 73), and it ranks #10 of 29,740 by population served among that same cohort.
EPA violations vs. the national water-system corpus
Public water systems serving 500+ people (EPA SDWIS)
73 Around the middle fewer violations than 34% of 29,740 water systems
the national water-system corpus, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more water systems. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source EPA SDWIS · 2026-05-15
How many violations vs. how serious, among peer systems
City of Baltimore plotted against 29 peer public water systems (500+ people served), by total violation count (x) and the share of those violations that are health-based (y). The crosshair sits at this sample's own median on each axis. A high violation count does not automatically mean a serious record: most monitoring and reporting violations are minor, not health-based.
Violation volume vs. health-based share
PFAS Testing Results (UCMR5)
Results from EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. 1 of 348 samples detected PFAS.
| Contaminant | Date | Result | MRL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFBS | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 8/29/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 8/29/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 8/29/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 8/29/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 8/29/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NFDHA | 8/29/2024 | <20.00 ppt | 20.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFEESA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 8/29/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 8:2 FTS | 8/29/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 8/29/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 8/29/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 8/29/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 8/29/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 8/29/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 8/29/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpS | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 11Cl-PF3OUdS | 8/15/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBA | 8/15/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| HFPO-DA | 8/15/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| ADONA | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 9Cl-PF3ONS | 8/15/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 6:2 FTS | 8/15/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDoA | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFDA | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHpA | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFBS | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeA | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFPeS | 8/15/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMPA | 8/15/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFMBA | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOS | 8/15/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTA | 8/15/2024 | <8.00 ppt | 8.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFTrDA | 8/15/2024 | <7.00 ppt | 7.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NEtFOSAA | 8/15/2024 | <5.00 ppt | 5.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFUnA | 8/15/2024 | <2.00 ppt | 2.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| NMeFOSAA | 8/15/2024 | <6.00 ppt | 6.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFOA | 8/15/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| 4:2 FTS | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFNA | 8/15/2024 | <4.00 ppt | 4.00 ppt | Not Detected |
| PFHxS | 8/15/2024 | <3.00 ppt | 3.00 ppt | Not Detected |
Health-based violations on City of Baltimore
20 health-based rows in the tables above map to MCL or treatment-technique exceedances, verify each contaminant code on the federal SDWIS report for MD0300002.
Sources: EPA SDWIS
Nationwide peers
73 violations · 1,600,000 served: nearest cross-state SDWIS matches.
Cross-state systems near this violation count
Nearest cross-state community systems (500+ served) by total SDWIS violations on record.
Cross-state systems with similar served population
Nearest cross-state systems by EPA SDWIS population_served (same 500+ sitemap gate).
What to do with City of Baltimore
Use this system's EPA-reported record as a starting filter, not a final verdict.
- See how every tracked system in Maryland compares on the same EPA violation measures. Maryland systems
- Check whether PFAS was detected at this system under UCMR5 testing. PFAS guide
- Find and compare another public water system by name or PWSID. Search systems
EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 figures are informational only, not a substitute for a certified lab test of your own tap water.
Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.