Public water system · DE0000221
ActiveBethany Bay Pump District
At a glance
Bethany Bay Pump District (PWSID DE0000221) is an active community water system in Sussex County, Delaware. It reports serving 51,000 people through 13,969 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2009.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
51,000
Service connections
13,969
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Bethany Bay Pump District compare with other water systems in Sussex County?
By EPA's size categories, Bethany Bay Pump District is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Sussex County has 246 active public water systems, and Bethany Bay Pump District is the 2nd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 33 times the county average of 1,556 people per system, and accounts for 13% of the 382,753 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Delaware, the 494 active systems average 2,238 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Bethany Bay Pump District is about 7.6 times that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Delaware has 219 active community water systems, 44% of the state's 494 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 459 Delaware systems (93%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Bethany Bay Pump District?
EPA lists Bethany Bay Pump District as privately owned. The DE state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 215 of the 246 active systems in Sussex County (87%) are also privately owned.
Does Bethany Bay Pump District have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2009. The violations listed here began between July 1993 and July 2009. By type: 4 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (4 of them). EPA lists 5 as resolved. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 1994-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 1993-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
All 5 violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Bethany Bay Pump District: frequently asked questions
Who runs Bethany Bay Pump District?
Bethany Bay Pump District (PWSID DE0000221) is a community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the DE state drinking water program.
How many people does Bethany Bay Pump District serve?
Bethany Bay Pump District reports serving 51,000 people through 13,969 service connections in Sussex County, Delaware.
Where does Bethany Bay Pump District get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Bethany Bay Pump District have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2009. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Bethany Bay Pump District's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in July 2009. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the DE state drinking water program.
Where can I find Bethany Bay Pump District's water quality report?
As a community water system, Bethany Bay Pump District must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Sussex County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rehoboth Pump District (Tui) | Sussex | 81,417 | Community | Groundwater |
| Dewey Beach Water Department | Sussex | 31,000 | Community | Purchased groundwater |
| Rehoboth Beach Water Department | Sussex | 25,000 | Community | Groundwater |
| Artesian Southern Sussex Regional | Sussex | 18,215 | Community | Groundwater |
| Sussex Shores Water Company | Sussex | 12,450 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bethany Beach Water Department | Sussex | 12,000 | Community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Bethany Bay Pump District, PWSID DE0000221, Delaware”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/delaware/bethany-bay-pump-district-de0000221 (data as of October 1, 2026).