Scaggsville Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Scaggsville, Maryland, in Howard County between Columbia and Laurel in the upper Little Patuxent River corridor, receives its municipal water from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), which draws from the Patuxent Reservoir system — specifically the T. Howard Duckett Reservoir (Upper Marlboro) and Brighton Dam Reservoir on the Patuxent River — and supplements with Potomac River supply as needed. WSSC distributes treated water throughout Howard and Prince George's counties from this integrated reservoir system.

The moderately hard 130 mg/L hardness and TDS of 260.9 mg/L reflect the Patuxent River watershed's mixed geological character. The Patuxent's upper watershed above the reservoirs drains the Piedmont Province of central Maryland — an ancient terrain of Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic rocks including the Wissahickon Formation schists and associated crystalline rocks — with relatively low calcium and magnesium yield. In Howard County, the watershed also contacts the edges of the Triassic Newark Basin (Brunswick Formation red sandstone) that produces modest carbonate cement and feldspar dissolution contributions. The result is a moderately hard supply reflecting both the low-mineral crystalline Piedmont and the somewhat harder Triassic basin fringe.

At 130 mg/L, Scaggsville's water is moderately hard — comfortable for everyday use. Scale forms gradually in kettles and appliances over two to three months, the dishwasher benefits from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need cleaning every few months. Quarterly descaling of heating appliances is adequate. The PFAS level of 7.0 ppt warrants use of a certified drinking water filter — Howard County's corridor between Baltimore and DC hosts significant government and technology activity contributing to elevated PFAS in the regional water supply.