Sussex County, DE Water: Wells, Saltwater, and Sewer Lines

Sussex County has public water systems and many homes that rely on groundwater wells. Water can vary by town, provider, and well. The best report for your home is the report from your water provider or a lab test from your own well.

What is known about local groundwater?

Delaware’s state report says residents get water from both public systems and private wells. DNREC tracks groundwater and watches for saltwater moving into freshwater wells. Along the coastal Route 1 area between Rehoboth Beach and Fenwick Island, the state samples some public water wells four times a year. DNREC says salt levels in the aquifers it monitors there are stable at this time. That finding applies to the wells being monitored; it does not guarantee the same result for every private well. Read DNREC’s saltwater report (opens in a new tab).

DNREC also warns that well water near salty canals or bays can be at risk in some conditions. A salty taste is a reason to test, not a way to measure salt. DNREC says a common home softener does not remove saltwater. The state offers information on testing chloride and sodium through a lab. See DNREC’s well protection advice (opens in a new tab).

How many sewer pipes are there, and how old are they?

Sussex County’s 2024 financial report counts 1,052 miles of underground sanitary sewer pipe and 396 pump stations. The same report lists 865 miles of sewer pipe in 2015. That shows the network grew over those years. It does not tell us the age or condition of every pipe. See the county’s 2024 report (opens in a new tab).

For drinking water, Delaware’s online Drinking Water Watch (opens in a new tab) lets residents find their public water provider and yearly test report. Private-well owners should use a certified lab and talk with DNREC or the health department about tests for their location.

What should residents do next?

Find out whether your home uses public water or a well. Save your latest water report or lab test. Ask your utility about the service line that connects your home to the street main. If you use a well, test it on a regular schedule and after floods, repairs, or changes in taste, color, or smell.

Research notes for future updates

• Refresh each article when the named public agency posts a newer report or project update. Keep the report year in the article so readers know how current the facts are.
• County findings about rivers, sewer systems, or selected wells must not be described as the test result for every home’s drinking water.
• The Pennsylvania service-line inventory rules are changing. Link to the customer’s actual water provider and current service-line map rather than publishing a county-wide count without checking it.
• Use search terms naturally in titles, headings, and useful answers. Repeating the same phrase in every sentence makes the writing harder to read and is not a sound way to build search visibility.