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285 Delaware water systems have inventoried 338,534 service lines for EPA. 2,691 (0.8%) are confirmed lead and 113,365 (33%) are still of unknown material. Below: every large or city-linked Delaware utility ranked by lead lines.
Delaware water systems reported 2,691 lead service lines and 3,605 galvanized lines requiring replacement as of Q2 2026 — 0.8% of the 338,534 lines inventoried and 0.1% of the national lead total, ranking #31 of 51. WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT reports the most in the state (1,708).
WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT (1,708), ARTESIAN WATER COMPANY (148), MILFORD WATER DEPARTMENT (3) lead the list; 12 Delaware systems report at least one lead line in total.
Find your utility in the table below, then check its published service line inventory (most utilities post an address-lookup map) or call the number on your water bill. Utilities must notify customers whose line is lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown. You can also test the pipe entering your home: lead is soft, dull gray, non-magnetic and turns shiny when scratched.
Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, systems must replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines within 10 years starting in 2027; systems with very high counts can receive longer deadlines. Ask your utility for its replacement plan and whether it covers the homeowner-owned portion.
Use a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead for drinking and cooking, flush the tap after water has sat for hours, never use hot tap water for drinking or infant formula, and confirm your actual level with a certified lab test.
Source: EPA SDWIS Service Line Inventory, Q2 2026 snapshot (updated 2026-08-18). Counts are service lines, not people.
A certified mail-in lab test shows exactly what's in your water — lead plus dozens of other contaminants — with EPA-grade accuracy. Know your real levels before spending on a filter.
Certified lab · results in days
Community systems serving 50,000+ people plus systems linked to a city report on this site (13 shown). State totals above include every reporting system.
| # | Water system | Status | Lead | GRR | Unknown | Total lines | City report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000663 · 107,976 served | Lead service lines present | 1,708 | 669 | 11,241 | 30,868 | |
| 2 | ARTESIAN WATER COMPANY DE0000552 · 231,114 served | Lead service lines present | 148 | 374 | 29,413 | 85,347 | |
| 3 | MILFORD WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000616 · 9,800 served | Lead service lines present | 3 | 114 | 2,740 | 5,202 | Milford → |
| 4 | SMYRNA WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000657 · 11,813 served | Lead service lines present | 2 | 7 | 2,211 | 5,600 | |
| 5 | VEOLIA WATER DELAWARE, INC DE0000564 · 100,495 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 78 | 35,490 | 40,442 | |
| 6 | DOVER WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000571 · 39,491 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 1,273 | 6,564 | 12,336 | |
| 7 | NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000630 · 40,000 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 1 | 6,512 | 8,962 | |
| 8 | SEAFORD WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000246 · 6,699 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 3 | 1,967 | 4,235 | Seaford → |
| 9 | BETHANY BAY PUMP DISTRICT DE0000221 · 51,000 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 1,183 | 12,048 | |
| 10 | GEORGETOWN WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000592 · 7,259 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 172 | 304 | 2,083 | Georgetown → |
| 11 | REHOBOTH PUMP DISTRICT (TUI) DE0000991 · 81,417 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 238 | 26,801 | |
| 12 | MIDDLETOWN WATER DEPARTMENT DE0000614 · 17,700 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 35 | 0 | 7,473 | |
| 13 | MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMISSION DE0000634 · 5,549 served | Lead service lines present | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2,202 |
A lead or unknown service line means lead can enter water after it leaves the treatment plant, so city-level test results understate what reaches your tap. Filter drinking and cooking water with an NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified system, and see the lead in drinking water guide or Delaware city water reports.
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