Water Quality in Delaware
207 water systems • 42 cities • EPA SDWIS Data
207
Water Systems
1,242
Total Violations
314
Health-Based Violations
1,018,198
Population Served
Overview
Delaware has 207 active community water systems serving 1,018,198 people. These systems have accumulated 1,242 EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, of which 314 are health-based violations (meaning a contaminant exceeded safe levels).
Common contaminants found in violations: Selenium, Gross Alpha, Nitrate, Chlorine, Contaminant 1925, E. coli, Total Organic Carbon, Contaminant 1017, Contaminant 1032, Contaminant 1028.
Cities with Most Violations in Delaware
| # | City | Violations | Health-Based | Water Systems | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millsboro | 124 | 44 | 7 | 9,660 |
| 2 | Smyrna | 72 | 11 | 8 | 13,629 |
| 3 | Dover | 65 | 15 | 56 | 251,405 |
| 4 | Newark | 45 | 11 | 21 | 322,041 |
| 5 | Rehoboth Beach | 43 | 18 | 7 | 28,380 |
| 6 | Georgetown | 41 | 7 | 5 | 8,042 |
| 7 | Felton | 33 | 2 | 5 | 1,827 |
| 8 | Laurel | 32 | 3 | 7 | 6,134 |
| 9 | Seaford | 31 | 9 | 4 | 7,764 |
| 10 | Harrington | 29 | 0 | 6 | 3,875 |
Largest Cities in Delaware
| # | City | Population | Violations | Water Systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newark | 322,041 | 45 | 21 |
| 2 | Dover | 251,405 | 65 | 56 |
| 3 | Wilmington | 208,471 | 8 | 2 |
| 4 | Frankford | 31,350 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Rehoboth Beach | 28,380 | 43 | 7 |
| 6 | Bethany Beach | 24,450 | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | Middletown | 23,166 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Smyrna | 13,629 | 72 | 8 |
| 9 | Long Neck | 11,909 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Lewes | 11,879 | 27 | 6 |
All Cities in Delaware
| City | Population | Violations | Health Violations | Contaminants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | 322,041 | 45 | 11 | Contaminant 1028, Contaminant 1032, Contaminant 1925 +1 more |
| Dover | 251,405 | 65 | 15 | Chlorine, Contaminant 1032, Contaminant 1925 +2 more |
| Wilmington | 208,471 | 8 | 1 | Bromate |
| Frankford | 31,350 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rehoboth Beach | 28,380 | 43 | 18 | Chlorine, E. coli, Selenium |
| Bethany Beach | 24,450 | 2 | 0 | |
| Middletown | 23,166 | 3 | 0 | |
| Smyrna | 13,629 | 72 | 11 | Total Organic Carbon |
| Long Neck | 11,909 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lewes | 11,879 | 27 | 7 | Contaminant 1925, Selenium |
| Milford | 9,800 | 1 | 1 | Lead |
| Millsboro | 9,660 | 124 | 44 | Chlorine, Contaminant 1925, Gross Alpha +1 more |
| Georgetown | 8,042 | 41 | 7 | Contaminant 1925, E. coli, Selenium |
| Seaford | 7,764 | 31 | 9 | Selenium, Total Organic Carbon |
| Laurel | 6,134 | 32 | 3 | Contaminant 1028, Contaminant 1032, Contaminant 1925 |
| Bridgeville | 6,000 | 0 | 0 | |
| Selbyville | 5,811 | 17 | 5 | TTHM |
| New Castle | 5,549 | 1 | 0 | |
| Camden | 5,050 | 15 | 0 | |
| Harrington | 3,875 | 29 | 0 | |
| Bear | 3,573 | 11 | 0 | |
| Milton | 3,248 | 10 | 0 | |
| Delmar | 2,237 | 4 | 0 | |
| Felton | 1,827 | 33 | 2 | Chlorine |
| Salisbury | 1,764 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pittsford | 1,509 | 19 | 0 | |
| Blades | 1,200 | 9 | 1 | Contaminant 1925 |
| Greenwood | 1,188 | 11 | 3 | Contaminant 1925, E. coli |
| Rehoboth | 1,172 | 10 | 0 | |
| Magnolia | 1,061 | 19 | 1 | Chlorine |
| Dagsboro | 1,027 | 19 | 0 | |
| Frederica | 950 | 2 | 0 | |
| Winterthur | 687 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ocean View | 683 | 7 | 2 | Contaminant 1017 |
| Crofton | 225 | 6 | 0 | |
| New York | 212 | 13 | 0 | |
| Willow Street | 210 | 2 | 0 | |
| Southfield | 195 | 20 | 1 | Total Organic Carbon |
| Kenton | 168 | 8 | 2 | Chlorine |
| Clarksville | 115 | 24 | 6 | Selenium |
| Ridgely | 111 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wyoming | 110 | 11 | 0 |
Data Sources
Drinking water data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Only active community water systems (CWS) serving 100+ people are included.