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County water report

Queen Anne's County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

35.9

State rank

#19

of 24

Health violations

8

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

45.2%

62 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

64

70,975 recent measurements

Live streamflow

34%

TUCKAHOE CREEK NEAR RUTHSBURG, MD

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Queen Anne's County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 35.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

8

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

45% impaired

62 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

34% of mean

TUCKAHOE CREEK NEAR RUTHSBURG, MD

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

64

70,975 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

35.9/100

Health violations

8

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

43.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Queen Anne's County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Queen Anne's County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 35.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 8 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

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 45.2% of assessed waterways are impaired (28 of 62 water bodies) across Queen Anne's County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are phosphorus, total and fecal coliform. 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 2026-05-14T14:45:00.000-04:00) puts TUCKAHOE CREEK at 37.7 cfs — well below its long-term average at 34% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. 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. Queen Anne's County has extensive coverage with 64 active monitoring sites with 70,975 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 Queen Anne's County

Water Verdict

Queen Anne's County, Maryland receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 35.9 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 62 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 45.2% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 33.9% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Queen Anne's County, Maryland show 8 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 43.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 70,975 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Queen Anne's County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Queen Anne's County's drinking-water compliance score is 35.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Queen Anne's County is 43.6 per 100,000 people served. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. Phosphorus, Total is the leading impairment cause in Queen Anne's County's watershed. With 64 active water-quality monitoring sites in Queen Anne's County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the TUCKAHOE CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Queen Anne's County has poorer water quality than the average county in Maryland. Its water score is 14.6 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than 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 Queen Anne's County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

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

  • 2

    Fecal coliform bacteria

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

  • 3

    Total Suspended Solids (Tss)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Queen Anne's County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Queen Anne's County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Queen Anne's County

Consumer Confidence Reports (MD)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Maryland

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

45.2%

28 of 62 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 2

    FECAL COLIFORM

  • 3

    TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS)

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

64

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

71K

70,975 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Microbiological

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

37.7cfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

34%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

TUCKAHOE CREEK NEAR RUTHSBURG, MD

USGS site
01491500
Drainage area
85.2 sq mi
Long-term mean
111 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 Queen Anne'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 Queen Anne's County, Maryland?
Queen Anne's County, Maryland has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 35.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 8 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 Queen Anne's County?
Queen Anne's County has 8 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 Queen Anne's County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 45.2% of Queen Anne's County's 62 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (28 impaired). The top reported causes are PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, FECAL COLIFORM, TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS). 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 Queen Anne's County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 70,975 measurements from 64 monitoring sites in Queen Anne's County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Microbiological. 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 Queen Anne's County right now?
Queen Anne's County's primary USGS streamgage on the TUCKAHOE CREEK has a pipeline snapshot of 37.7 cubic feet per second — 34% of the long-term mean of 111.35 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Queen Anne's County water compare to the Maryland average?
Queen Anne's County's SDWIS water quality score of 35.9/100 is lower 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 Queen Anne's County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Queen Anne's County has a water quality grade of F (35.9/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. 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).
Why does Queen Anne's County have so many water violations?
Queen Anne's County has 8 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Queen Anne's County rank for water quality in Maryland?
Queen Anne's County ranks #19 out of 24 counties in Maryland by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 35.9/100, it falls in the bottom 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

Somerset County

Maryland

F

33.0

Water score

Wicomico County

Maryland

F

39.2

Water score

Talbot County

Maryland

F

32.1

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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