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Federal water data

County water report

Prince George's County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Prince George's County, Maryland.

Water grade

C

Water score

58.5

State rank

#9

of 24

Health violations

2

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

45.3%

64 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

56

60,116 recent measurements

Live streamflow

89%

WESTERN BRANCH AT UPPER MARLBORO, MD

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Prince George's County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

C

Score: 58.5 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

2

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

45% impaired

64 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

89% of mean

WESTERN BRANCH AT UPPER MARLBORO, MD

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

56

60,116 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

C

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

58.5/100

Health violations

2

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

7.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Data center water stress

Prince George's County has 2 facilities in the DCWSI dataset.

ByCounty's DCWSI ranks this county #146 nationally by combining its water score with mapped data center density.

DCWSIThe Data Center Water Stress Index: 60% the county's water-system stress plus 40% how concentrated data centers already are, scored 0-100. Higher means data-center density and water pressure overlap more here.

53.1

0-100 index

Facility count

2

45.0 density percentile

Discharge estimate

Not reported

EPA CWA fields where available

Water vs median

+8.5

Compared with US county median

Mapped facilities

  • AiNET

    Facility details limited

    OSM

  • IONQINC

    COLLEGE PARK

    EPA ECHO
See the Prince George's County data-center reportReview methodology

Data Center Water Budget Calculator

Estimate daily water use for a hypothetical facility in Prince George's County.

1 MW1,000 MW
40%100%
799K gallons/dayHigh Impact

Your facility would use 183.4% of this county's industrial water baseline. Verify water rights and long-term drought projections before committing.

183.4% of county industrial baseline

Based on USGS 2020 water-use data and EPA-standard cooling intensity constants. Not a substitute for site-specific water rights analysis.

Editorial analysis

Understanding Prince George's County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Prince George's County's drinking water earned a C grade, scoring 58.5 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 2 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A substantial 45.3% of assessed waterways are impaired (29 of 64 water bodies) across Prince George's County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are total suspended solids (tss) and phosphorus, total. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:15:00.000-04:00) puts WESTERN BRANCH at 94.4 cfs — running somewhat below its historical average at 89% of mean. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Prince George's County has extensive coverage with 56 active monitoring sites with 60,116 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Prince George's County

Water Verdict

Prince George's County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of C and a score of 58.5 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Prince George's County has recorded 2 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 7.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Prince George's County meets baseline standards but the compliance record shows room for improvement, with a Grade C rating. Prince George's County's drinking-water compliance score is 58.5 out of 100. The violation rate for Prince George's County is 7.6 per 100,000 people served. Residents who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have young children may benefit from using an NSF 53-certified filter. Contacting your local utility for the current Consumer Confidence Report will confirm which specific violations were recorded and whether they have been resolved. Total Suspended Solids (Tss) is the leading impairment cause in Prince George's County's watershed. With 56 active water-quality monitoring sites in Prince George's County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the WESTERN BRANCH gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Prince George's County has better water quality than the average county in Maryland. Its water score is 8 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Prince George's County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Total Suspended Solids (Tss)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Nitrogen, Total

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Prince George's County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Prince George's County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Prince George's County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MD)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Maryland

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

45.3%

29 of 64 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS)

  • 2

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 3

    NITROGEN, TOTAL

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

56

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

60K

60,116 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

94.4cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

89%

Below typical

Primary Streamgage

WESTERN BRANCH AT UPPER MARLBORO, MD

USGS site
01594526
Drainage area
89.7 sq mi
Long-term mean
107 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Prince George's County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Prince George's County, Maryland?
Prince George's County, Maryland has a drinking-water quality grade of C with a score of 58.5/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 2 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Prince George's County?
Prince George's County has 2 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Prince George's County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 45.3% of Prince George's County's 64 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (29 impaired). The top reported causes are TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS), PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, NITROGEN, TOTAL. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Prince George's County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 60,116 measurements from 56 monitoring sites in Prince George's County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Biological, Algae, Phytoplankton. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Prince George's County right now?
Prince George's County's primary USGS streamgage on the WESTERN BRANCH has a pipeline snapshot of 94.4 cubic feet per second — 89% of the long-term mean of 106.57 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Prince George's County water compare to the Maryland average?
Prince George's County's SDWIS water quality score of 58.5/100 is higher than the Maryland state average of 50.5. The average water quality grade across Maryland is D, based on data from 24 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Prince George's County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Prince George's County has a water quality grade of C (58.5/100). This indicates moderate compliance. Some violations have been recorded but overall standards are maintained. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Does Prince George's County have clean drinking water?
Prince George's County has 2 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 58.5/100 and grade C, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Prince George's County rank for water quality in Maryland?
Prince George's County ranks #9 out of 24 counties in Maryland by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 58.5/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Carroll County

Maryland

C

57.8

Water score

Harford County

Maryland

C

60.8

Water score

Frederick County

Maryland

C

61.4

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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