10/23/2026
Sixteen Maryland public water systems tested at or above EPA’s new limit for PFAS, the “forever chemicals.” Notice what this map doesn’t show.
Private wells. Not one. EPA’s monitoring covered 83 public systems and zero wells. If your water comes from your own well, no dot on this map is yours, and no one has checked it.
How does PFAS reach a well? It reaches a well the same way it reaches everything else. Firefighting foam used for decades at airports, military bases, and fire training grounds. Landfill leachate. Biosolids spread on farm fields. Industrial discharges. Even household products draining through septic systems. PFAS don’t break down, so they travel with groundwater long after the source is gone.
What works on them? EPA names three technologies: activated carbon, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis. EPA says RO is best suited to a homeowner’s tap, and independent testing by Duke and NC State researchers found under-sink RO removed PFAS almost completely, while pitcher, fridge, and faucet carbon filters were hit or miss.
We install under-sink reverse osmosis systems for homes and RO-filtered water coolers for businesses.
Two honest notes. Our free in-home water test covers hardness, iron, pH, TDS, and more, not PFAS. PFAS testing requires a state-certified lab using EPA methods, and we’ll point you to one. And if your test says you don’t need anything, we’ll tell you that.
Free water test: https://tinyurl.com/Atlantic-Blue-Water-Testing
