Is Ilchester, MD tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Ilchester has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Maryland’s records: City of Baltimore.
Howard County D.P.W. Distribution, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Ilchester’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Howard County D.P.W. Distribution
Maryland · serves 286,158 people · about 27,500 in Ilchester
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
City of Baltimore
Maryland · serves 1.6 million people · about 250 in Ilchester
1 result above the legal limit and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 62.2 ppb, above the legal limit. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 94 mg/L (5.5 grains per gallon).
4 health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Howard County D.P.W. Distribution’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Brita Everyday Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB46, OB06)
Pitcher
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 13, 2026
Certified for: Lead
PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher (PPT111W)
Pitcher
- NSF listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Lead
Water testing near Ilchester
The 3 labs Maryland certifies closest to Ilchester, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Phase Separation Science, Inc.
Baltimore, MD · about 3 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Maryland Spectral Services, Inc.
Baltimore, MD · about 5 miles
Certified for nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Nan Technologies, Inc.
Halethorpe, MD · about 5 miles
Certified for lead and copper, metals
Maryland Department of Health laboratory: Testing of private well water for bacteria, nitrate, lead, copper, iron, hardness and more, on samples sent in through your local health department. Bacteria is $41, nitrate $18, and lead, copper or iron $20 each. Well Water Testing Fees, Maryland Department of Health.
All 92 certified labs for MarylandWhich ZIP codes are in Ilchester: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: MDE, Maryland's certified drinking water laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Ilchester
Other towns in Howard County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Howard County D.P.W. Distribution’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water