Public water system · MD0040014
ActiveScientists Cliffs
At a glance
Scientists Cliffs (PWSID MD0040014) is an active community water system in Calvert County, Maryland. It reports serving 1,425 people through 247 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,425
Service connections
247
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Scientists Cliffs compare with other water systems in Calvert County?
By EPA's size categories, Scientists Cliffs is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Calvert County has 203 active public water systems. Its population served is about 3.7 times the county average of 384 people per system, and accounts for 1.8% of the 77,996 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Maryland, the 2,992 active systems average 1,947 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Scientists Cliffs is well below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Maryland has 422 active community water systems, 14% of the state's 2,992 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 2,870 Maryland systems (96%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Scientists Cliffs?
EPA lists Scientists Cliffs as privately owned. The MD state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 160 of the 203 active systems in Calvert County (79%) are also privately owned.
Does Scientists Cliffs have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. The violations listed here began between September 2001 and October 2023. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting and 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (7 of them). EPA lists 12 as resolved. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2014-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2011-10-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2008-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-06-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-05-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2003-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-03-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-09-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Routine Major (TCR) · code 23 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Scientists Cliffs: frequently asked questions
Who runs Scientists Cliffs?
Scientists Cliffs (PWSID MD0040014) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the MD state drinking water program.
How many people does Scientists Cliffs serve?
Scientists Cliffs reports serving 1,425 people through 247 service connections in Calvert County, Maryland.
Where does Scientists Cliffs get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Scientists Cliffs have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Scientists Cliffs' water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in October 2023. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the MD state drinking water program.
Where can I find Scientists Cliffs' water quality report?
As a community water system, Scientists Cliffs must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Calvert County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake Ranch Estates | Calvert | 9,500 | Community | Groundwater |
| Town of Chesapeake Beach | Calvert | 5,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Prince Frederick | Calvert | 4,371 | Community | Groundwater |
| Solomons | Calvert | 3,811 | Community | Groundwater |
| Town of North Beach | Calvert | 3,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Northern Middle & High Schools | Calvert | 2,470 | Non-transient non-community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Scientists Cliffs, PWSID MD0040014, Maryland”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/maryland/scientists-cliffs-md0040014 (data as of October 1, 2026).