Delaware Tap Water Quality
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Overview
Northern Delaware drinks a mix of Brandywine and White Clay Creek surface water and Potomac aquifer groundwater, served by Veolia Delaware, Wilmington's city system, and Artesian Water. All the major systems meet federal standards.
Delaware sits in the mid-Atlantic PFAS belt: detections near the New Castle Air National Guard Base and in scattered wells pushed the state to set its own PFAS limits ahead of federal rules and fund treatment. Nitrate in southern Sussex County groundwater, driven by intensive poultry agriculture, is the other recurring concern.
Common Contaminants in Delaware
Groundwater near New Castle ANG Base and several industrial sites shows PFAS; affected wells are treated or offline and statewide sampling is ongoing
Poultry-farming regions of Sussex County show elevated nitrate in shallow groundwater and private wells
Surface-water systems in the north manage seasonal trihalomethane levels within limits
Violations & Compliance
Health-based violations are uncommon; Delaware's small size and consolidation into three main utilities keeps oversight tight. PFAS remediation and private-well nitrate are managed as state programs rather than as system violations.
City Reports for Delaware
We haven't published individual city water reports for Delaware yet. Use the ZIP lookup for a statewide assessment, and check your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for local detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
The safety rating and guidance on this page draw on the following sources. See our full methodology.
- •US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act regulations
- •EWG Tap Water Database
- •The utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
- •WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality