Lead In Drinking Water In Delaware
What residents of Delaware need to know about lead in drinking water — including how it enters water, which utilities have documented violations, and what steps to take.
Source: EPA SDWIS, Delaware Division of Public Health (DDPH), CDC · Last reviewed: 2025-01-01
Quick Answer
Is lead in drinking water a real concern in Delaware?
Yes — Wilmington has documented lead service line concerns, and the city's older residential neighborhoods predate the 1986 federal ban on lead plumbing materials.
Is this mostly a public-water issue, a private-well issue, or both?
Primarily the public water service line and household plumbing in older Wilmington neighborhoods; smaller Delaware communities outside Wilmington have lower but still present risk in older housing.
What is the main reason residents should care?
Wilmington is Delaware's largest city and has older urban neighborhoods — Eastside, Southbridge, Browntown — with housing built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These homes are most likely to have both lead service lines connecting to the water main and lead solder throughout interior plumbing.
Key Facts
| Federal Lead Action Level | 15 µg/L — no safe level per CDC |
| Highest-risk area | Older Wilmington neighborhoods — Eastside, Southbridge, Browntown — dense pre-1920 housing |
| Primary pathway | Lead service lines and lead solder in pre-1986 household plumbing |
| State oversight | Delaware Division of Public Health (DDPH) |
| Federal MCLG | Zero |
Why This Matters in Delaware
Delaware is a small state, but Wilmington concentrates the lead-in-water risk. The city has neighborhoods with very high concentrations of pre-1920 housing, common in the Mid-Atlantic industrial corridor. Wilmington's water system draws from the Christina and Brandywine Rivers and the Hoopes Reservoir; corrosion control treatment is applied to reduce leaching, but household plumbing beyond the meter remains a variable the utility cannot control. Delaware's Division of Public Health enforces the Lead and Copper Rule and requires Artesian Water and other public systems to complete lead service line inventories. Dover and Newark have newer housing stock on average and lower risk, but pre-1986 construction still exists throughout the state.
Delaware Utilities With Lead Violation Records
The utilities listed below have at least one lead violation on record in EPA's SDWIS database. Violations may be open or resolved — see individual utility pages for current status and risk level.
How Lead Gets Into Drinking Water
Lead service lines
The pipe connecting a home to the water main may be made of lead, especially in pre-1986 construction. Water sitting in these lines can accumulate lead before it reaches the tap.
Lead solder
Lead solder at pipe joints was banned for potable water systems in 1986. Homes built before that date — including significant portions of older Delaware cities — may still have lead solder throughout their plumbing.
Older brass fixtures
Faucets, valves, and fixtures with high lead content were common before the 2014 revision of 'lead-free' standards. Replacing older fixtures at kitchen and drinking taps can meaningfully reduce exposure.
Corrosive water chemistry
Soft, acidic, or low-alkalinity water dissolves lead from plumbing more readily. Utilities use orthophosphate and other corrosion control treatments, but household plumbing after the meter is not within their control.
Who Should Pay Closest Attention
Families with children under six in older Wilmington neighborhoods — particularly in rental housing — and households in any Delaware home built before 1986 should prioritize checking with their utility about service line material and considering a certified point-of-use filter.
Families with children under six
Pregnant residents
Households in homes built before 1986
Renters who cannot inspect building plumbing
Residents on a confirmed lead service line
Households that had plumbing work done recently (disturbances dislodge protective scale)
How to Check Your Situation in Delaware
- 1
Identify your water utility. Use the ZIP lookup below or browse the Delaware utility directory on this site.
- 2
Read your utility's page on this site to see its current risk level and any open lead violations.
- 3
Contact your utility and ask for your address-level service line material status. Under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), utilities must maintain and provide this information.
- 4
Review your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) — mailed annually or available on the utility's website.
- 5
Consider testing your tap water at a Delaware Division of Public Health (DDPH)-certified lab. Your state health department or Delaware Division of Public Health (DDPH) maintains a list of certified labs.
- 6
If you have young children or are pregnant, install a certified NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 filter at the kitchen tap as a precautionary measure.
Treatment Options
Boiling does not remove lead. Use a certified filter for drinking and cooking water.
NSF/ANSI Standard 53 — Activated Carbon Block
Under-sink or pitcher filters certified to Standard 53 are independently verified to reduce lead. Replace filters on the manufacturer's schedule — an overdue filter may not perform as certified.
NSF/ANSI Standard 58 — Reverse Osmosis
RO systems certified to Standard 58 remove 95–99% of lead and a broad range of contaminants. Requires under-sink installation. More comprehensive than Standard 53 for households with multiple contaminant concerns.
Flushing — temporary mitigation only
EPA recommends flushing the cold tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes if water has sat in pipes for 6+ hours. Not a substitute for certified filtration or service line replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Lead — National Overview
All U.S. utilities with lead records
Delaware State Overview
All utilities and water quality data
Nitrate in Drinking Water
A separate but common concern
Reverse Osmosis Guide
Removes 95–99% of lead
Activated Carbon Filter Guide
NSF/ANSI 53 certified options
All Contaminants
Complete reference library
Data Sources & Provenance
All data on this page is sourced from official U.S. government or public datasets.
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Delaware Division of Public Health (DDPH) ↗