Public water system · DE0000865
ActiveBlades, Town of
At a glance
Town of Blades (PWSID DE0000865) is an active community water system in Sussex County, Delaware. It reports serving 1,200 people through 468 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2022.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,200
Service connections
468
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Town of Blades compare with other water systems in Sussex County?
By EPA's size categories, Town of Blades is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Sussex County has 246 active public water systems. Its population served is about 23% below the county average of 1,556 people per system, and accounts for 0.3% 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 Town of Blades is well below 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 Town of Blades?
EPA lists Town of Blades 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 Town of Blades have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2022. The violations listed here began between January 2001 and March 2022. By type: 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 3 monitoring and reporting, 1 monitoring and 1 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (3 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-31 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherRecord Keeping · code 09 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-05-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2015-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2007-01-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Fluoridecode 1025 | Yes | Resolved |
| 2005-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2001-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Unaddressed |
All 8 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.
Town of Blades: frequently asked questions
Who runs Town of Blades?
Town of Blades (PWSID DE0000865) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the DE state drinking water program.
How many people does Town of Blades serve?
Town of Blades reports serving 1,200 people through 468 service connections in Sussex County, Delaware.
Where does Town of Blades 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 Town of Blades have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2022. 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 Town of Blades' 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 8 violations for this system; 1 is health-based, and the most recent began in March 2022. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the DE state drinking water program.
Where can I find Town of Blades' water quality report?
As a community water system, Town of Blades 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 |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “Blades, Town of, PWSID DE0000865, Delaware”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/delaware/blades-town-of-de0000865 (data as of October 1, 2026).