Town Of Galena, MD
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1.5 ppb (monitoring period 2021-2023). 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.
Who runs the water here
Town Of Galena serves about 560 people through 312 service connections, which makes it a small system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws groundwater, in Kent County, Maryland. EPA system ID: MD0140004; phone on file: 443-282-4167. Call that number and ask whether your address has a lead, galvanized or unknown service line.
Lead results over time
That is up 1.5 ppb from 0 ppb in the period ending 2020. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Town Of Galena is 3 ppb across 3 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.5 ppb |
| 2020 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2017 | 3 ppb |
Against other Maryland systems
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. Town Of Galena's 1.5 ppb sits at the 67th percentile in Maryland and the 63rd nationally (higher means more lead).
Other water systems in Kent County
11 other systems share Kent County; 3 of them have a higher latest lead result than Town Of Galena. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Town Of Chestertown | 5,400 | 1.2 ppb |
| Town Of Rock Hall | 1,750 | 3.5 ppb |
| Worton | 955 | 0 (not detected) |
| Fairlee | 725 | 0 (not detected) |
| Town Of Millington | 630 | 0 (not detected) |
| Town Of Betterton | 481 | 5 ppb |
| Kennedyville | 300 | 0 (not detected) |
| Edesville | 296 | - |
| Millington Distribution System | 260 | - |
| Hilltop Trailer Park | 65 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Chestertown, 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 Town Of Galena 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.