Is Fenwick Island, DE tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 3 utilities serving Fenwick Island has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Delaware’s records: Artesian Southern Sussex Regional.
Artesian Southern Sussex Regional, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 4.7 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 Fenwick Island’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Artesian Southern Sussex Regional
Delaware · serves 20,145 people · about 120 in Fenwick Island
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 4.7 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Bayside Pump District (Tui)
Delaware · serves 8,400 people · lists Fenwick Island among the places it serves
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.3 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Swann Keys
Delaware · serves 1,764 people · lists Fenwick Island among the places it serves
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.2 ppb, above the health goal.
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 Artesian Southern Sussex Regional’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Fenwick Island
The lab Delaware certifies closest to Fenwick Island, 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 30 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 Fenwick Island
Which ZIP codes are in Fenwick Island: 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 Fenwick Island
Other towns in Sussex County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Artesian Southern Sussex Regional’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked 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