What is the Source of City Water?

Hagerstown City water is surface water that comes from one of two City-owned treatment plants. The main plant is the R.C. Willson Water Treatment Plant which uses the Potomac River as the water source. The second plant is the W. M. Breichner Water Treatment Plant which uses the Edgemont Reservoir as its source. The reservoir is fed by two streams, the Warner Hollow and the Raven Rock. The Willson Plant is located near Williamsport while the Breichner Plant is near Smithsburg. The source of your water can be found by your location in the drawing below.

What Happens to the Water at the Treatment Plants?

Both plants use the same basic processes to treat the water. Aluminum coagulants are added causing small particles to adhere to each other, making them heavy enough to either settle out of the water in sedimentation basins or be removed in clarifiers. The settled or clarified water is then filtered through anthracite coal and sand to remove the remaining fine particles. Chlorine is added to kill harmful bacteria and viruses and lime or caustic soda is added to minimize the dissolution of lead and copper from household plumbing. Fluoride is added to help prevent dental problems with children's teeth. Potassium permanganate and powdered activated carbon can be added if necessary to reduce taste and odor sometimes present in the raw water. Treated water is then pumped through the distribution system and to your home.

What is Found in the Water?

As mentioned previously, tests are periodically conducted for the regulated and unregulated contaminants. The table found in this report is a listing of those that were detected in Hagerstown water during the period from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006. The remaining contaminants have not been detected. The regulatory agencies (the State of Maryland and the EPA) have waived the requirement to sample for contaminants that would not normally be found in our environment.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of certain contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Certain people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as those with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, those who have undergone organ transplants, those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, or infants can be particularly at risk of infection. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care provider. The Environmental Protection Agency/Center for Disease Control guidelines for the appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Some maximum contaminant level (MCL) regulations are based on a yearly average of sample results. Occasionally an individual result may exceed the MCL but the yearly average does not. This is the case with trihalomethanes. Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Source Water Assessment

A Source Water Assessment (SWA) was performed for the Potomac and Edgemont water supplies. The SWA was done to identify potential sources of contamination that include non-point sources, including transportation, agriculture, onsite septic systems, wildlife, and runoff from developed land and timber harvest operations. Recommendations of the SWA include the development of a watershed protection group representing stakeholders, aggressive barrier management plans to control agriculture and animal farming runoff, phosphorus control, and a proactive spill management program.

Is your water safe to drink?

Hagerstown City Water meets all Federal (EPA) and State (Maryland) regulatory requirements. If any of the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) or reporting requirements were exceeded or violated during the period that this report covers, the health effects and reasons for the violations would be required to be stated in this report. The Hagerstown Water and Sewer Department works hard to maintain the highest quality water in the Tri-State area and we will continue to strive for this goal. If you have any questions about this report or any other topic related to your drinking water, please feel free to call us at 301-739-8577 x 650.

Terms and Units Defined

Action Level (AL) is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) represents a target level for contaminants below which there is no known or expected health risk. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. These 'Goals' are not necessarily achievable.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

n/a = Not applicable

n/d = Not detected

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) is a measure of the clarity of water.

Parts per million (ppm) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years, or one penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or one penny in $10,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/l) is a measure of radioactivity.
Treatment Technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water and is used as an indicator that the filtration system is functioning properly.

Download a PDF of the Water Quality Data