Community Corner
Harford County First in Maryland with State-Certified Testing Lab for PFAS “Forever Chemicals”
Located at the Abingdon Water Treatment Plant, the lab was established after County Executive Cassilly created the PFAS Task Force in 2024.
Harford is the first county in Maryland to operate its own laboratory certified by the Maryland Department of the Environment to test for PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals.”
“Safe, reliable drinking water is vital to our community, and my administration is taking a proactive, innovative approach to protecting public health,” Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly said. “By investing in our own testing capability, we are delivering faster test results, helping us ensure safer drinking water for customers of our public water system.”
PFAS, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals that do not easily break down in the environment. Used in many consumer and industrial products, PFAS can accumulate over time, leading to contamination in water, soil, and food and raising concerns about potential health impacts.
Harford has been testing its public water for PFAS using an outside lab since 2012, with samples consistently testing safely below the regulated limit of 4 parts per trillion—equivalent to one drop in approximately five Olympic-size swimming pools. Harford’s in-house laboratory allows water samples to be analyzed in days rather than weeks, significantly improving response times and reducing costs.
Harford County provides drinking water to more than 130,000 customers and conducts more than 230,000 highly sensitive water tests annually to help ensure its water meets all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Maryland Department of the Environment requirements. County drinking water won awards for quality from the American Water Works Association in 2023 and 2025.
Located at Harford’s Abingdon Water Treatment Plant, the lab was established after County Executive Cassilly created the PFAS Task Force in August 2024. The county is also exploring opportunities to extend this testing capability to schools, libraries, recreation centers, and other community partners served by well water.
The facility earned MDE certification in December 2025 after passing a rigorous on-site audit and demonstrating proficiency in detecting PFAS contaminants in drinking water at part-per-trillion levels, ensuring water is safe for consumption.
The lab represents a $700,000 investment in Harford County’s water quality infrastructure, including the purchase of a state-of-the-art liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS), the technology required to detect PFAS at extremely low levels.
The PFAS laboratory team is led by Environmental Chemist Leah Griffin, who was recognized with the 2025 Laboratory Analyst Excellence Award from the Water Environment Federation and the Chesapeake Water Environment Association for her outstanding work.
