Is Hagerstown Water Safe to Drink? What Every Homeowner Should Know

Yes, Hagerstown’s tap water is safe to drink by federal standards. The City of Hagerstown Utilities Department, Water Division treats surface water drawn from the Potomac River and the Edgemont Reservoir, and the system has no reported violations. That said, homeowners should know two things right now: the W.M. Breichner Water Treatment Plant and Edgemont Reservoir are offline for repairs, meaning all of Hagerstown’s water is being sourced from the R.C. Willson plant on the Potomac River, and disinfection byproduct levels (HAA5 and TTHMs) run in a wide range depending on the sampling site. For most homes, the question isn’t “safe vs. unsafe” but whether the chlorine level, trace metals, and long-term exposure are worth addressing.

When the City of Hagerstown says the water is safe, that means it meets the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) when averaged across the year. That’s a meaningful baseline, but there is more to take into consideration.

Hagerstown’s drinking water is a surface water supply drawn from two City-owned treatment plants. The R.C. Willson Water Treatment Plant pulls from the Potomac River and is, for the moment, the sole active source for the system. The W.M. Breichner Water Treatment Plant, which draws from the Edgemont Reservoir, is offline while repairs and upgrades are made to the dam and treatment facility.

Water from the R.C. Willson plant is disinfected through filtration followed by the addition of chloramine before it enters the distribution system. A corrosion inhibitor is added to reduce the amount of lead or copper that can dissolve from private household plumbing, and fluoride is added to help prevent dental problems in children. The city monitors total chlorine residual daily throughout the distribution system, which serves roughly 90,000 people across Hagerstown and surrounding Washington County communities, including Chambersburg, Waynesboro, Martinsburg, Boonsboro, Smithsburg, and Greencastle.

Surface water systems like Hagerstown’s are sensitive to seasonal factors and watershed conditions in a way groundwater systems are not. Rainfall, runoff, and changes in organic content in the source water affect how much disinfectant the treatment plant needs to use, which in turn affects how many disinfection byproducts form downstream.

The W.M. Breichner Water Treatment Plant and its source, the Edgemont Reservoir, are offline while the city makes repairs and upgrades to the dam and treatment facility. Until that work is complete, all of Hagerstown’s drinking water is being sourced from the R.C. Willson Water Treatment Plant on the Potomac River.

This kind of single-source operation isn’t inherently unsafe; R.C. Willson is a fully permitted, actively monitored treatment plant. It does mean the system has less redundancy than usual, and that the entire customer base is temporarily dependent on one river source and one treatment train. Homeowners who noticed any shift in taste, hardness, or chlorine level in recent months may be seeing the effect of this consolidated sourcing, since Potomac River water and Edgemont Reservoir water can carry different mineral and organic profiles.

Hagerstown’s most recent Water Quality Report gives a detailed look at what’s flowing through your tap. Beyond the regulatory pass/fail, the data tells you what’s likely affecting taste, plumbing, and long-term exposure.

Hagerstown’s water hardness was not reported in the data reviewed for this article. Homeowners who want a hardness reading for their specific tap should request a free in-home water test, since hardness can vary by neighborhood and by which treatment plant is actively supplying a given area.

Chlorine (measured here as total chlorine residual from the chloramine disinfection process) came in at 2.7 ppm, with a reported range of 2.7 to 2.7 ppm. That’s a level capable of producing a noticeable taste and smell at the tap. Chlorine and chloramine are essential for keeping water safe on its way from the treatment plant to your home, but higher residuals are also the precursor to the disinfection byproducts discussed below.

Recent testing put Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) at a highest locational running annual average (LRAA) of 19.5 ppb, with individual sites ranging from 4.1 to 32.3 ppb. Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) came in at a highest LRAA of 32.8 ppb, with a range of 11.4 to 51.6 ppb. Both figures are below their federal MCLs of 60 ppb and 80 ppb, but the spread between the low and high ends of each range shows how much byproduct levels can vary from one part of the distribution system to another. Whole-house carbon filtration is a common solution for homeowners who want to reduce byproduct exposure regardless of where they fall in that range.

Testing showed lead at 0.944 ppb (90th percentile) and copper at 0.0708 ppm (90th percentile), with zero sites over the federal Action Levels of 10 ppb for lead and 1.3 ppm for copper. Those are low figures relative to the action thresholds. Manganese was not reported in the data reviewed for this article.

It’s worth remembering that lead and copper mostly enter water from household plumbing after it leaves the treatment plant, so what comes out of a tap in one of Hagerstown’s many older homes can differ from these system-wide averages. The city’s use of a corrosion inhibitor is specifically meant to limit that risk.

Other trace constituents reported include nitrate at 0.5 ppm (reported combined as nitrate-nitrite, sampled 2022), fluoride at a highest level of 0.7 ppm (range 0.66 to 0.66 ppm, tested 2024), and barium at 0.031 ppm (range 0.031 to 0.031 ppm, tested 2024). All fall well under their respective federal limits. Cyanide, mercury, aluminum, gross beta particle activity, and several disinfection byproduct sub-compounds (chloroform, bromoform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, bromate) were not reported in the data reviewed for this article. The system reported meeting all Total Organic Carbon removal requirements, though no specific removal percentage was listed.

PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” are a growing concern nationwide because these compounds break down slowly and can persist in water supplies for years. Under UCMR5 testing conducted in 2024, PFOA and PFOS were both below detectable limits in Hagerstown’s water system, against an EPA MCL of 4 ppt. Lithium was also tested and came in at less than 0.009 ppm; lithium has no established MCL.

That’s a favorable result, but PFAS monitoring is an evolving area, and homeowners who draw water from surface sources like the Potomac River or Edgemont Reservoir may want to keep an eye on future testing rounds as federal monitoring requirements expand.

Most water quality issues in Hagerstown homes show up at the tap before they show up in a city report. If you notice any of the following, treat it as a prompt to test, not a reason to panic.

Not all water tests are designed to look for the same contaminants, and the right option depends on what you’re trying to learn about your home’s water.

Culligan’s free in-home water test is designed to identify common household water issues like:

This type of test is helpful for determining whether a water softener or filtration system may improve your home’s water quality. However, in-home testing is not intended to detect contaminants like lead or PFAS, which require laboratory analysis.

Certified lab testing is the best option for homeowners concerned about:

Lab testing is recommended for older homes, homes with young children, or anyone wanting detailed contaminant-specific results. Pricing varies depending on the contaminants being tested.

DIY water test kits can also be purchased online through retailers. These kits are used to screen for hardness, chlorine, pH, iron, and other basic water conditions. While convenient, DIY kits are less comprehensive than certified laboratory testing and should be viewed as a basic screening tool rather than a replacement for professional analysis.

You don’t need to test your water every month, but there are specific moments when testing is worth doing.

Most of these cost nothing and reduce exposure, giving homeowners peace of mind.

Once you know what’s in your water, picking the right system is straightforward.

A water softener removes the hardness minerals like calcium and magnesium that cause scale buildup.

A whole-house filter reduces chlorine, sediment, and disinfection byproducts at the point where water enters your home, so every tap, shower, and appliance benefits.

An RO system installed under the kitchen sink polishes drinking and cooking water by removing lead, byproducts, and a long list of trace contaminants.

If PFAS or other emerging contaminants become a concern in Hagerstown’s water in future testing rounds, advanced filtration can target these compounds at extremely low levels for long-term protection.

Hagerstown homeowners have options when it comes to choosing the right system for their home. With flexible rental, installation, and repair services, homeowners can choose what fits their needs and budget.

Since Hagerstown’s water quality can shift depending on which treatment plant is active and where you live in the service area, starting with a free at-home water test lets you evaluate what treatment approach fits your home. Schedule your free water test here.