Is Dewey Beach, DE tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Dewey Beach has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Delaware’s records.
Rehoboth Beach Water Department, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOA at 14.9 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Dewey Beach’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Rehoboth Beach Water Department
Delaware · serves 25,000 people · about 180 in Dewey Beach
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOA at 14.9 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Dewey Beach Water Department
Delaware · serves 31,000 people · under 100 in Dewey Beach
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOA at 11 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Rehoboth Beach Water Department’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS
Water testing near Dewey Beach
The 3 labs Delaware certifies closest to Dewey Beach, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Water Testing Laboratories of MD
Salisbury, MD · about 36 miles
Chesapeake Environmental Lab
Stevensville, MD · about 70 miles
Water Testing Laboratories of MD
Stevensville, MD · about 70 miles
Delaware Division of Public Health: Test kits for private well owners, for bacteria plus nitrate, nitrite, iron, fluoride, sodium, hardness and other minerals. Pick one up and bring it back on a weekday at state health offices, including Newark, Smyrna and Georgetown. No charge for the kit or the testing. Private Drinking Water, Delaware Health and Social Services.
All 13 certified labs for DelawareZIP codes in Dewey Beach
Which ZIP codes are in Dewey Beach: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Delaware Office of Drinking Water, approved laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Dewey Beach
Other towns in Sussex County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Rehoboth Beach Water Department’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOARanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water