What's in Bethesda, MD tap water?
Montgomery County (including Bethesda) is served by WSSC Water from the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. Its trihalomethane and haloacetic-acid averages sit hundreds of times above EWG's health-based guidelines.
Zip codes covered: 20814, 20815, 20816, 20817, 20852, 20854 and surrounding Bethesdaareas. “× over” compares the detected level to EWG's health guideline, not the federal legal limit.
2 PFAS “forever chemicals” found in Bethesda, MD's water
The EPA's most recent national testing round detected PFAS in Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's supply. The EPA's 2024 legal limit for PFOA and PFOS is just 4 ppt, and its own health goal is zero, no level is considered safe.
Reverse osmosis is independently rated the most effective way to remove PFAS at the tap.
See the fixSource: EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5), highest detected result per compound for Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Levels vary by sampling point and date. Learn more about PFAS.
How to get Bethesda water off that list
Here is the good news: everything above comes out at your kitchen tap. WSSC Water treats the water for the whole Bethesda system, but a reverse osmosis system finishes the job at your sink, catching what city treatment leaves behind. The Sanavia Hydra fits under a standard Bethesda sink and is NSF-certified to cut haloacetic acids (haa5) and the rest by up to 99%.
Bethesda water quality FAQ
Is Bethesda, MD tap water safe to drink?
WSSC Water water meets all federal EPA legal limits. However, independent EWG testing finds 4 contaminants above its stricter health-based guidelines, including Haloacetic acids (HAA5) and Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs). Legal compliance and health-optimal water are not the same thing.
What contaminants are in Bethesda water?
The most notable contaminants above EWG health guidelines are Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Chromium-6 (hexavalent), Arsenic. These are largely disinfection byproducts and trace metals common to the region's water sources.
Does a reverse osmosis system remove these contaminants?
Yes. A reverse osmosis system like the Sanavia Hydra uses a 0.0001-micron membrane plus multi-stage carbon filtration, NSF-certified to reduce every contaminant class detected in Bethesda water, at your tap, regardless of what the utility does upstream.
The contaminants flagged in Bethesda water
Plain-English guides to what WSSC Watertesting turns up above EWG's health guidelines — what each one is, and what actually removes it.