We read 8 results from City of Bowie’s 2025 water quality report. No results over a legal limit; 1 above a health goal or guideline.
Serves about 25,000 people · Water system ID MD0160002 · Read the district’s 2025 report (opens in a new tab)
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Results from the 2025 report
Each number is copied from the district’s report and links to the page it’s printed on. Where the report lists several plants, wells or purchased water, the highest is shown.
| Contaminant | Result | Health goal | Legal limit | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radium (combined 226 + 228)single sample · sampled 2023 · Bowie water plant · 2025 report, page 4 | 0.8 pCi/L | 0 pCi/L | 5 pCi/L | Above the health goalThe health goal is zero |
| Bariumsingle sample · Bowie water plant · 2025 report, page 4 | 0.02 ppm | 2 ppm | 2 ppm | Below the health goal |
| Chlorinehighest running annual average · range 0.92 to 1.18 · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 3 | 1.1 ppm | None set | 4 ppm | Below the legal limit |
| Copper90th percentile of 30 homes tested, 0 over the action level · sampled 2023 · Customer taps · 2025 report, page 4 | 0.02 ppm | 0.3 ppm | 1.3 ppm (action level) | Below the health goal |
| Disinfection byproducts (TTHM)highest measured · range 3 to 7.6 · Distribution system · 2025 report, page 4 | 7.6 ppb | None set | 80 ppb | Below the legal limit |
| Fluorideas reported · sampled 2024 · Bowie water plant · 2025 report, page 4 | 0.43 ppm | 1 ppm | 4 ppm | Below the health goal |
| Lead90th percentile of 30 homes tested, 0 over the action level · sampled 2023 · Customer taps · 2025 report, page 4 | Not detected | 0.2 ppb | 15 ppb (action level) | Not detected |
| Lithiumaverage · range 11.2 to 15.3 · sampled 2024 · Bowie water plant · 2025 report, page 4 | 13.3 ppb | None set | None | No health limit |
Utility results describe the whole system, measured where water enters the pipes, not your tap. Your home’s plumbing can add lead or copper.
EPA testing for PFAS and lithium
EPA’s own nationwide testing (UCMR 5) found these in City of Bowie’s water between Mar 2024 and Aug 2024. These are EPA lab results, separate from the district’s report. Anything not listed was not detected.
- Lithium15.3 ppbFound in 2 of 2 samples · highest resultAbove EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb (a guide, not a legal limit)
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data. The highest single result is shown; one high sample doesn’t mean every glass is that high.
What you can do
Nothing here is an emergency notice: if the district has a violation, it must tell customers directly. If you’d like to lower these at your tap, these are the treatments that remove them, and the catalog shows the models certified for each. Ranking is by certified removal; commissions never change the order.
Radium and uranium
Found: Radium (combined 226 + 228)
What removes it: Reverse osmosis.
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