Is Lewes Board of Public Works Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Sussex

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2015-07-01
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2015-07-01
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2013-07-01
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2013-07-01
Other	Monitoring	Resolved	2002-07-01 → 2002-08-14
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	1994-01-01 → 1994-11-23
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	1994-01-01 → 1994-11-23
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	1994-01-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	1994-01-01

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
PFOS	0.0095 µg/L	2/2	2024
PFHXS	0.0035 µg/L	1/2	2024
PFOA	0.0061 µg/L	1/2	2024

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Nitrate	6817.16 µg/L 68% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 7400 µg/L	200/200	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	6817.16 µg/L 68% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 7400 µg/L	100/100	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	1310 µg/L 33% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1610 µg/L	95/100	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	295 µg/L 23% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 1220 µg/L	71/71	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	28.27 µg/L 188% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 38.4 µg/L	34/71	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0230 mg/L 153% above the EPA limit of 0.0150 mg/L	10/10	LCR	2025
Bromodichloromethane	5.242 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 5.54 µg/L	5/7	SYR4	2015–2019
Dibromochloromethane	11.308 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 12.08 µg/L	5/7	SYR4	2015–2019
TTHM	30.6 µg/L 38% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 32.2 µg/L	5/5	SYR4	2015–2019
Bromoform	14.0375 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 14.3 µg/L	4/7	SYR4	2015–2019
Chloroform	1.8995 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2 µg/L	4/7	SYR4	2015–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.65515 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.727 µg/L	2/5	SYR4	2015–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	2.65515 µg/L 4.4% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 2.727 µg/L	2/5	SYR4	2015–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.8800 pCi/L 18% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/1	SYR4	2019
Nitrite	100 µg/L 10% of the EPA limit 1000 µg/L	1/100	SYR4	2012–2019

78 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneChlorobenzeneCyanideCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDichloroacetic AcidDinosebEthylene DibromideEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidMonochloroacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneTolueneToxapheneTrichloroacetic AcidTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: DAVIS, ROBIN
Phone: 302-644-5312
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Lewes Board of Public Works

Is Lewes Board of Public Works tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 18 contaminants in Lewes Board of Public Works's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Lewes Board of Public Works's water?

EPA monitoring detected Nitrate, Nitrate-Nitrite, Fluoride, Copper, Lead, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Lewes Board of Public Works serve?

Lewes Board of Public Works reports serving 9,627 people in Delaware, per its EPA record.

Has Lewes Board of Public Works had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 9 violations on file for Lewes Board of Public Works, of which 0 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.