Lavale Sanitary Commission, MD
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1 ppb (monitoring period 2020-2022). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
Lavale Sanitary Commission at a glance
Lavale Sanitary Commission serves about 5,500 people through 2,515 service connections, which makes it a medium-sized system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Allegany County, Maryland. EPA system ID: MD0010016; phone on file: 301-729-1638. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2019 (0 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Lavale Sanitary Commission is 1 ppb across 3 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 ppb |
| 2019 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2016 | -5 ppb |
How Lavale Sanitary Commission compares
Of the 437 Maryland systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0 ppb; 3 are over 15 ppb right now and 21 have gone over at some point. Lavale Sanitary Commission's 1 ppb sits at the 60th percentile in Maryland and the 55th nationally (higher means more lead).
Other water systems in Allegany County
16 other systems share Allegany County; 2 of them have a higher latest lead result than Lavale Sanitary Commission. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| City Of Cumberland | 27,039 | 1 ppb |
| City Of Frostburg | 11,000 | 0 (not detected) |
| Eastern Region Allegany Distrib. System | 5,703 | - |
| Midland-Lonaconing | 5,000 | 1 ppb |
| Western Region Allegany Distrib. System | 4,955 | - |
| Md American Water - Pinto | 2,615 | - |
| Town Of Westernport | 2,200 | 0 (not detected) |
| Southern Region Allegany Distrib. System | 865 | - |
| Midlothian Water Company | 300 | 3.8 ppb |
| Barrelville | 130 | - |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Lavale, MD may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Lavale Sanitary Commission whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. The action level is dropping - the 10 ppb rule from 2027.