NAS Patuxent River Releases 2024 Clean Water Report

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon | PATUXENT RIVER (May 10, 2025) - NAS Patuxent River official seal.  

PATUXENT RIVER, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

05.10.2025

Story by Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon 

Naval Air Station Patuxent River

Message from American States Utility Services, Inc. (ASUS)
Dedicated to Delivering Clean Water
Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre el agua que usted bebe. Tradúzcalo ó hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

Every day, people in the United States depend on American States Utility Services, Inc. (ASUS) for the water that enhances their quality of life. We operate and maintain water and wastewater systems on military bases across the country, dedicating ourselves to producing drinking water that meets all state and federal standards and continually striving to adopt new methods for delivering the best quality drinking water to the military installations we serve. As new challenges to drinking water safety emerge, we remain vigilant in meeting the goals of source water protection, water conservation, and community education, while continuing to meet the needs of all of our water users.
At ASUS, we are proud to provide the integral services that truly empower our nation’s military communities, from the ground up. With our smart infrastructure systems, we create and maintain the efficiencies that allow installations across the country to focus on their own true mission. Ours is simple: to continue building upon their strength as effectively as possible.
Patuxent River Utility Services, Inc. (PRUS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ASUS, is the provider of your water service. Our certified operators ensure the safe delivery of all potable water, taking water samples at approved sites to ensure its quality throughout our system. With a deep commitment to customer care, ASUS works diligently to protect every drop of water. As a utility provider, we constantly analyze our systems to determine which areas might need repair, replacement, or even supplementary facilities. ASUS also puts a strong focus on water efficiency and actively providing educational outreach for customers to further encourage better resource management.
We at ASUS are proud to be able to provide our services to the military personnel, civilians, and family members who live and work at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NASPR). We are honored to support the role your military installation plays in defending the country, both at home and abroad. We achieve this goal by always putting our fundamental ideals into practice. We pay special attention to the ultimate measure of success: our customer’s peace of mind. With our own team’s deeply-rooted military background, we have an intimate understanding of what it takes to make an installation thrive, and we take pride in delivering unparalleled care in this regard.
We at ASUS are pleased to present you with this annual water quality report and thank you for allowing us to serve you and your family. Please remember that we are always available to assist you should you ever have any questions or concerns about your water. For more details, you can view our past and current Water Quality Reports at www.asusinc.com.

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Important Information about Your Water - What the EPA Wants You to Know
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at [phone].
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at [phone].
Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Patuxent River Utility Services is responsible for providing high quality drinking water and removing lead pipes, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components in your home. You share the responsibility for protecting yourself and your family from the lead in your home plumbing. You can take responsibility by identifying and removing lead materials within your home plumbing and taking steps to reduce your family's risk. Before drinking tap water, flush your pipes for several minutes by running your tap, taking a shower, doing laundry or a load of dishes. You can also use a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute accredited certifier to reduce lead in drinking water. If you are concerned about lead in your water and wish to have your water tested, contact Patuxent River Utility Services at 240-808-0224. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
While your drinking water meets EPA standards for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source water include: Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife; inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming; pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses; organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems; and radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or a result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
In order to ensure that the tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water, which must provide the same production for public health.

Important Information about Your Water
When You Turn on Your Tap, Consider the Source
The NASPR water delivered to you is supplied from the Piney Point-Nanjemoy, Patapsco, and Aquia Aquifers, which are groundwater sources in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The recharge zone for these aquifers is a broad area approximately 25-75 miles north and northeast from our source. Your water is treated by chlorination, accomplished by injecting chlorine into the water supply. Chlorine kills bacteria and other microbes and prevents the spread of waterborne diseases. The water is chlorinated to ensure it is delivered safely to your building or residence.

Source Water Assessment
MDE’s Water Supply Program has conducted a Source Water Assessment (SWA) for NASPR. The susceptibility analysis of this report is based on a review of the existing water quality data for each water system, the presence of potential sources of contamination in the individual assessment areas, well integrity, and aquifer characteristics. It was determined that the NASPR water supply is not susceptible to contaminants originating at the land surface due to the protected nature of the confined aquifers. The wells pumping from the Aquia aquifer are susceptible to naturally occurring arsenic. The susceptibility of the water to radon-222, a naturally occurring element, will depend on the final MCL that is adopted for this contaminant. The Source Water Assessment is available at:
https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/water_supply/Source_Water_Assessment_Program/Pages/sm.aspx.

2024 Water Quality Results
Patuxent River Utility Services, Inc. (PRUS), we routinely monitored for more than 150 contaminants in your drinking water in accordance with state and federal regulations. The tables that follow list all the drinking water contaminants that we detected in the last round of sampling for each particular contaminant group. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk.
Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 through December 31, 2024. The EPA and the State of Maryland allow us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one-year-old.
For more information about this report, or for any questions relating to your drinking water, please contact Katie Kriner, Environmental Program Administrator of Patuxent River Utility Services, Inc. at [phone]. Navy Public Works Contact, Jordan Sinclair at [phone].
Regulated Contaminants by Patuxent River Utility Services, Inc.

Disinfectants & Disinfection By-Products – fig. 1

Inorganic Contaminants – fig. 2

Radioactive Contaminants – fig. 3

Microbiological Contaminants – fig. 4

Lead and Copper – fig. 5
Lead Service Line Inventory: EPA published the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) in January 2021, which requires all Community Water Systems (CWS) and Non-Transient Non-Community Water Systems (NTNCWS) to submit an initial service line inventory to the Primacy Agency by October 16, 2024. Water systems must develop an inventory to identify the material(s) of service lines connected to the public water distribution system and categorize the service line materials as “Lead”, “Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR)”, “Non-lead”, or “Lead Status Unknown”. Additionally, there are certain requirements for the water systems to make their information publicly accessible and to notify all persons served by the water system at the service connection with a lead, GRR, or lead status unknown service line. The Lead Service Line Inventory is available at https://leadcopper-awareness-asusinc.hub.arcgis.com/.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – fig. 6
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of man-made chemicals. PFAS have been used in a variety of industries and consumer products around the globe, including in the U.S., since the 1940s. PFAS have been used to make coatings and products that are used as oil and water repellents for carpets, clothing, paper packaging for food, and cookware. They are also contained in some foams (aqueous film-forming foam or AFFF) currently used for fighting petroleum fires at airfields and in industrial fire suppression processes. PFAS chemicals are persistent in the environment and some are persistent in the human body – meaning they do not break down and they can accumulate over time.
On April 10, 2024, the US EPA established MCLs for a subset of PFAS chemicals. Visit the EPA’s website to learn these limits for PFAS at https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkylsubstances-pfas. EPA requires implementation of sampling in accordance with the new MCLs within three years of the publication date and implementation of any required treatment within five years.
PFAS sampling was conducted in 2024 all drinking water testing results were below the Method Reporting Limit (MRL) for all 29 PFAS compounds covered by the sampling method, including PFOA and PFOS. This means that regulated PFAS compounds were not detected in your water system.

Key Abbreviations
MCL – Maximum Contaminant Level – The highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water
MCLG – Maximum Contaminant Level Goal – The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health
MRDL – Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level – The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
MRDLG – Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal – The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
AL – Action Level – The concentration of a contaminant which triggers a treatment or other requirement which a water system must follow.
TT – Treatment Technique – A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water ppb - micrograms per liter or parts per billion - or one ounce in 7,350,000 gallons of water
ppm – milligrams per liter or parts per million- or one ounce in 7,350 gallons of water pCi/L - Picocuries per liter a measure of radioactivity
N/A – Not Applicable – Information not applicable/not required for that particular water system or for that particular rule. ND - Non detectable
Average - Regulatory compliance with some MCLs are based on running annual average of monthly samples
Level 1 Assessment - A Level 1 assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system
Level 2 Assessment - A Level 2 assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an E. coli MCL violation occurred and/or why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasions.
For more details about this report, or for any questions relating to your drinking water, please contact Katie Kriner, Environmental Program Administrator of Patuxent River Utility Services, Inc. at [phone]. Navy Public Works Contact, Jordan Sinclair at [phone].

How can I get involved?
The NASPR works diligently to provide top quality drinking water to every tap. As residents, employees, and caretakers here, please help us protect our water sources. We welcome your suggestions to help maintain our high quality level of drinking water as well as to conserve water throughout the Installation. NASPR has initiated an Installation Drinking Water Committee (IDWC) that meets quarterly. If you have questions or concerns you would like added to the IDWCs agenda, please call or email the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Public Works Department, Environmental Division Director where we can discuss and respond each quarter:

NASPR Environmental Division Director Lance E. McDaniel
22445 Peary Rd., Building 504 Patuxent River, MD 20670
[phone]
[e-mail]

PRUS Assistant Utility Manager Christopher Lamson
21583 Shaw Road Patuxent River, MD 20670
[phone]
[e-mail]

• Date Taken: 05.10.2025
• Date Posted: 05.10.2025 12:04
• Story ID: 497579
• Location: PATUXENT RIVER, MARYLAND, US