PFAS Testing Results
Delaware
PFAS testing results for 36 water systems serving 946,306 residents.
14 systems exceed federal PFAS limits, affecting 720,320 residents.
Systems tested
36
47.2% had PFAS detections
Limits exceeded
14
38.9% of systems
Population affected
720K
served by systems over federal limits
Most common compound
11Cl-PF3OUdS
detected in 17 systems
Grade distribution
Every water system gets a letter grade based on how its worst detected PFAS compound compares to the federal Maximum Contaminant Level. Lower grades mean higher contamination.
Communities exceeding federal limits
The water systems in Delaware where at least one PFAS compound exceeds the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level, sorted worst first.
| System name | City | Grade | Worst compound | Times over limit | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEORGETOWN WATER DEPARTMENT | GEORGETOWN | D | PFOA | 4.9x | 7.3K |
| SUEZ WATER DELAWARE | WILMINGTON | D | PFOA | 4.8x | 100K |
| NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT, DE | NEWARK | D | PFOA | 2.9x | 40K |
| ARTESIAN WATER COMPANY | NEWARK | D | PFOA | 2.6x | 231K |
| DEWEY BEACH WATER DEPARTMENT | FRANKFORD | D | PFOA | 2.4x | 31K |
| SMYRNA WATER DEPARTMENT | SMYRNA | D | PFOA | 2.2x | 12K |
| STAGE VILLAGE MHC | DAGSBORO | D | PFOS | 2.0x | 93 |
| REHOBOTH BEACH WATER DEPARTMENT | REHOBOTH BEACH | D | PFOA | 1.9x | 25K |
| LEWES BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS | LEWES | D | PFOS | 1.8x | 9.6K |
| WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT | WILMINGTON | D | PFOA | 1.8x | 108K |
Resources for taking action are available in our community toolkit.
What Delaware is doing about PFAS
As of April 2026, Delaware has not adopted state-level PFAS drinking water standards beyond the federal EPA limits finalized in April 2024. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has tracked contamination near the Dover Air Force Base and New Castle County Airport, where AFFF firefighting foam releases have affected groundwater, and has required monitoring of nearby private wells.
State records show Delaware has joined multistate litigation against 3M and DuPont. Public water systems are subject to the federal compliance timeline requiring initial monitoring by 2027 and treatment installation by 2029.
Based on Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control publications.
All 36 tested water systems in Delaware
Sorted from lowest grade to highest. Click any system name for the full report. Filter by city or name with the search box below.
Showing 36 of 36 systems
| Grade | System name | City | Worst compound | vs. EPA limit | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D | GEORGETOWN WATER DEPARTMENT | GEORGETOWN | PFOA | 4.9× the federal limit | 7.3K |
D | SUEZ WATER DELAWARE | WILMINGTON | PFOA | 4.8× the federal limit | 100K |
D | NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT, DE | NEWARK | PFOA | 2.9× the federal limit | 40K |
D | ARTESIAN WATER COMPANY | NEWARK | PFOA | 2.6× the federal limit | 231K |
D | DEWEY BEACH WATER DEPARTMENT | FRANKFORD | PFOA | 2.4× the federal limit | 31K |
D | SMYRNA WATER DEPARTMENT | SMYRNA | PFOA | 2.2× the federal limit | 12K |
D | STAGE VILLAGE MHC | DAGSBORO | PFOS | 2.0× the federal limit | 93 |
D | REHOBOTH BEACH WATER DEPARTMENT | REHOBOTH BEACH | PFOA | 1.9× the federal limit | 25K |
D | LEWES BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS | LEWES | PFOS | 1.8× the federal limit | 9.6K |
D | WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT | WILMINGTON | PFOA | 1.8× the federal limit | 108K |
D | ARTESIAN NORTHERN SUSSEX REGIONAL | NEWARK | PFOA | 1.4× the federal limit | 5.5K |
D | BETHANY BAY PUMP DISTRICT | DOVER | PFOS | 1.4× the federal limit | 51K |
D | SOUTH BETHANY | NEWARK | PFOS | 1.1× the federal limit | 18K |
D | REHOBOTH PUMP DISTRICT | DOVER | PFOA | 1.1× the federal limit | 81K |
C | BAYSIDE PUMP DISTRICT | DOVER | PFPeA | Below detection | 8.4K |
B | SEAFORD WATER DEPARTMENT | SEAFORD | PFPeA | Below detection | 6.7K |
B | MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMISSION | NEW CASTLE | PFBA | Below detection | 5.5K |
A | GARRISON LAKE PUMP DISTRICT | DOVER | - | Below detection | 13K |
A | CAMDEN PUMP DISTRICT | DOVER | - | Below detection | 17K |
A | MEADOWS PUMP DISTRICT | DOVER | - | Below detection | 15K |
A | SWANN KEYS | SALISBURY | - | Below detection | 1.8K |
A | BETHANY BEACH WATER DEPARTMENT | BETHANY BEACH | - | Below detection | 12K |
A | SUSSEX SHORES WATER COMPANY | BETHANY BEACH | - | Below detection | 12K |
A | BRIDGEVILLE WATER DEPARTMENT | BRIDGEVILLE | - | Below detection | 6.0K |
A | CAMDEN WYOMING SEWER AND WATER AUTHORITY | CAMDEN | - | Below detection | 5.0K |
A | DELMAR UTILITY COMM (TN OF DELMAR) | DELMAR | - | Below detection | 2.0K |
A | DOVER WATER DEPARTMENT | DOVER | - | Below detection | 39K |
A | DOVER AIR FORCE BASE | DOVER | - | Below detection | 11K |
A | LAUREL WATER DEPARTMENT | LAUREL | - | Below detection | 4.0K |
A | MIDDLETOWN WATER DEPARTMENT, DE | MIDDLETOWN | - | Below detection | 18K |
A | MILFORD WATER DEPARTMENT | MILFORD | - | Below detection | 9.8K |
A | MILLSBORO WATER DEPARTMENT | MILLSBORO | - | Below detection | 8.6K |
A | LONG NECK WATER COMPANY | LONG NECK | - | Below detection | 11K |
A | EAST NCC DISTRICT | DOVER | - | Below detection | 5.5K |
A | NORTH WEST PUMP DISTRICT | DOVER | - | Below detection | 4.1K |
A | CHURCH CREEK | NEWARK | - | Below detection | 9.7K |
Check your water system
Enter your zip code to see the PFAS results for the water system that serves your home.
Where this data comes from
- EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle (UCMR 5)
- Testing period: 2023 to 2026
- Federal limits: EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels finalized April 2024
- Read the full methodology