Public water system · DE0000556
ActiveBethany Beach Water Department
At a glance
Bethany Beach Water Department (PWSID DE0000556) is an active community water system in Sussex County, Delaware. It reports serving 12,000 people through 3,447 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2005.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
12,000
Service connections
3,447
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Bethany Beach Water Department compare with other water systems in Sussex County?
By EPA's size categories, Bethany Beach Water Department is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Sussex County has 246 active public water systems. Its population served is about 7.7 times the county average of 1,556 people per system, and accounts for 3.1% 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 Beach Water Department is about 79% above 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 Beach Water Department?
EPA lists Bethany Beach Water Department as owned by a local government. 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. 19 of the 246 active systems in Sussex County (7.7%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Bethany Beach Water Department have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2005. The violations listed here began between January 1994 and October 2005. By type: 3 contaminant level above the legal limit, 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 2 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Total coliform bacteria (TCR) (2 of them). EPA lists 6 as resolved and 1 as archived. 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. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-10-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2001-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 2001-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2001-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2000-07-01 | 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 |
| 1994-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
All 7 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 Beach Water Department: frequently asked questions
Who runs Bethany Beach Water Department?
Bethany Beach Water Department (PWSID DE0000556) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the DE state drinking water program.
How many people does Bethany Beach Water Department serve?
Bethany Beach Water Department reports serving 12,000 people through 3,447 service connections in Sussex County, Delaware.
Where does Bethany Beach Water Department 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 Beach Water Department have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2005. 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 Beach Water Department'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 7 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2005. 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 Beach Water Department's water quality report?
As a community water system, Bethany Beach Water Department 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 |
| Bethany Bay Pump District | Sussex | 51,000 | 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 |
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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 Beach Water Department, PWSID DE0000556, Delaware”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/delaware/bethany-beach-water-department-de0000556 (data as of October 1, 2026).