For residents

Start with the water provider listed on the bill. Confirm the system name before comparing test results.

Public systems and the regulator

Public water systems are subject to federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements implemented through state drinking-water oversight. Delaware’s Division of Public Health, Office of Drinking Water, oversees public water quality and makes system information available through its online tools. A public system’s compliance record is not the same thing as a one-time test from an individual household tap: it reflects required sampling, monitoring schedules, treatment and reporting for the system as a whole.

Source note Delaware Division of Public Health PFAS and drinking-water information · Office of Drinking Water database

Read the annual water-quality report

Community water systems that serve the same customers year-round must provide an annual Consumer Confidence Report. The report describes the water source, detected regulated contaminants, comparison with applicable standards and any violations or required notices. A contaminant can be detected below a legal limit; “detected” and “in violation” are not interchangeable. Check the report for the correct system and reporting year, especially when a neighborhood is served by a small system or a municipal provider.

Source note Delaware Environmental Laboratory — consumer confidence reports and testing

What a test result can—and cannot—tell you

A laboratory result is tied to a sampling location, date, method and analyte. It does not automatically describe every tap in a service area or conditions today. Treatment, distribution plumbing and building fixtures can affect water after it leaves a utility’s facility. For a concern about water at a particular property, follow the advice of the water provider or a certified drinking-water laboratory; do not infer a household result from a countywide environmental map.

Find the source record

Use the state’s Drinking Water Watch database for public-system records and the Division of Public Health’s PFAS information page for the PFAS-specific lookup. For a property served by a private well, use the separate private-well testing guide; private wells are not covered by the same public-system oversight framework.

Source note Delaware Office of Drinking Water