Water Testing in Severna Park, MD — Know What’s in Your Water Before Treating It

Municipal Supply (ZIP 21146 — Most of Severna Park)

The majority of Severna Park homes receive water from Anne Arundel County’s public water system. This water is treated, regulated, and tested by the county — the annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report) is available from Anne Arundel County’s Bureau of Utilities.

What testing adds for municipal customers: The county’s treatment process meets regulatory standards for safety parameters. What it doesn’t address is the mineral hardness that remains in the treated water — calcium and magnesium content from the Chesapeake Bay watershed that the treatment process doesn’t remove. A point-of-use hardness test tells you the actual hardness level reaching your fixtures, which determines the correct softener sizing. A county average is a system-wide figure; actual hardness varies by proximity to the distribution trunk and time of year.

Before softener installation: We conduct a hardness test at the installation point to confirm the grains per gallon figure that sizes the softener correctly. An oversized softener wastes salt and water on regeneration cycles; an undersized one doesn’t soften the supply adequately.

Private Well Communities — Chartwell, Round Bay, Ben Oaks

Portions of Chartwell, Round Bay, Ben Oaks, Pasadena (21122), and Crownsville (21032) within our service area use private wells drawing from the Magothy River watershed aquifer or local shallow aquifers. Private well water is not treated by any municipal system — what comes out of the well is what’s in your water, and it varies significantly by well depth, casing condition, and local aquifer chemistry.

The most common private well water quality issues in Severna Park’s satellite communities:

Iron. The Magothy watershed aquifer frequently contains dissolved ferrous iron — colorless in the well but oxidising to orange-brown deposits on fixtures, sinks, tubs, and laundry as soon as it contacts air. At concentrations above 0.3 mg/L, iron staining becomes visible. Above 3 mg/L, laundry staining is severe. Testing quantifies the iron level, which determines whether a basic iron filter or an oxidising filter system is appropriate.

Hardness. Private well water in this region is often harder than the county municipal supply — mineral content from local limestone and dolomite geology dissolves into the aquifer water. Testing quantifies hardness in grains per gallon to correctly size a softener.

pH. Acidic well water (pH below 7.0) corrodes copper plumbing aggressively — the blue-green staining on fixtures in a home with acidic well water is copper leaching from the pipe walls. Severna Park area well water with low pH is the direct cause of premature copper pipe failure in some properties. Treatment: a calcite neutraliser filter. Testing quantifies the pH and whether treatment is needed.

Bacteria. Coliform bacteria testing is critical for private wells — particularly following heavy rain events that may introduce surface water near the well casing. An annual bacteria test and testing after any casing work or flooding event is standard practice. A UV disinfection system provides continuous protection.

Sulfur (hydrogen sulfide). The rotten egg odour from hot water in some Severna Park private well homes is hydrogen sulfide gas — produced by sulfur bacteria in the well or aquifer. Testing confirms the source and concentration, which determines whether aeration, chlorination, or a specialty sulfur filter is the appropriate treatment.

Manganese. Often present alongside iron in the Magothy aquifer. Manganese above 0.05 mg/L causes black staining on fixtures and is associated with neurological health concerns at higher concentrations. Testing identifies manganese presence and level separately from iron.