Artesian Water Company, DE
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 1 ppb (monitoring period 2024-2026). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
Artesian Water Company at a glance
Artesian Water Company serves about 231,114 people through 85,347 service connections, which makes it a very large system under EPA's size classes. It is privately owned and draws surface water, in New Castle County, Delaware. EPA system ID: DE0000552; phone on file: 302-453-2389. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2023 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Artesian Water Company is 1.4 ppb across 4 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 ppb |
| 2023 | 1 ppb |
| 2020 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2017 | 1.4 ppb |
How Artesian Water Company compares
Of the 196 Delaware systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0.31 ppb; 1 are over 15 ppb right now and 14 have gone over at some point. Artesian Water Company's 1 ppb sits at the 68th percentile in Delaware and the 56th nationally (higher means more lead).
Nearby utilities
30 other systems share New Castle County; 10 of them have a higher latest lead result than Artesian Water Company. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Water Department | 107,976 | 0 (not detected) |
| Veolia Water Delaware, Inc | 100,495 | 2 ppb |
| Newark Water Department | 40,000 | 1 ppb |
| Middletown Water Department | 17,700 | 0 (not detected) |
| Municipal Services Commission | 5,549 | 0 (not detected) |
| East Ncc District | 5,538 | 0 (not detected) |
| North West Pump District | 4,149 | 0.8 ppb |
| Willow Grove Mill | 3,090 | 0 (not detected) |
| Delaware City Water Department (Awc) | 2,610 | 1 ppb |
| Delaware Correctional Center | 2,000 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Newark, DE may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Artesian Water Company whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. Systems that went over once often dip back under; here is what that means.