Artesian Water Company water quality
Hockessin, DE · serves 231,114 people (85,347 connections) · Purchased surface water · Private · EPA ID DE0000552
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Chester Water Authority, Municipal Services Commission, Wilmington Water Department, Middletown Water Department. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 22.3 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 5.55 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period Jan 2024 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Artesian Water Company's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (302) 453-2389.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 22 entry points tested May 2024 to Feb 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 22.3 ppt 5.56× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.55 ppt 1.39× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 8.4 ppt 84% of the limit |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.84 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.35 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 69.5 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 42.6 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 66 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 9.45 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: Artesian said in April 2024 that it had installed PFAS treatment at ten of its facilities and expected to install treatment at three more facilities in 2024, ahead of the federal MCL expected to take effect in 2029.
Source: Artesian Water Company Prepared to Fully Comply with EPA's New PFAS Drinking Water Standard, 2024-04-10. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 94% of the Delaware systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 82% of the Delaware systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 8 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 46 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 1.4 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2023 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (7)
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 1997 – Jun 1997 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 1992 – Jun 1992 | 5 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 37.9 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 2.2 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 4.7 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.22 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Cobalt | 5.6 ppb | 70 ppb |
| Vanadium | 0.6 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 170 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Hockessin, Bear
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 19701, 19702, 19707, 19711, 19713, 19720, 19804, 19805
Nearby utilities
- Newark Water Department Newark · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
- Veolia Water Delaware, Inc Wilmington · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- Wilmington Water Department Wilmington · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- Smyrna Water Department Smyrna · 34 mi · PFAS above limit
- Lewes Board of Public Works Lewes · 75 mi · PFAS above limit
- Georgetown Water Department Georgetown · 77 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Artesian Water Company water safe to drink?
Artesian Water Company has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Artesian Water Company water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Artesian Water Company found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 22.3 ppt, PFOS 5.55 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Artesian Water Company water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Artesian Water Company is 1 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2024 (still in progress). The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for DE0000552: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID DE0000552).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Artesian Water Company's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (302) 453-2389.
- Artesian Water Company website
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.