Public water system · DE00A0415

Active

First Step Preschool

At a glance

First Step Preschool (PWSID DE00A0415) is an active non-transient non-community water system in Sussex County, Delaware. It reports serving 50 people through 1 service connection. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as privately owned. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

Service connections

Primary source

Groundwater

System type

NTNCWS

Non-transient non-community water system

System record

PWSIDDE00A0415

System typeNon-transient non-community water system

Activity statusActive

Population served50

Service connections1

Primary water sourceGroundwater

Owner typePrivate

Primacy agencyDE state drinking water program

City servedLincoln

StateDelaware

ZIP—

CountySussex County

How does First Step Preschool compare with other water systems in Sussex County?

By EPA's size categories, First Step Preschool is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Sussex County has 246 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 1,556 people per system, and accounts for less than 0.1% 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 non-transient non-community water system reports serving 430 people, so First Step Preschool is well below that figure.

What does “non-transient non-community water system” mean?

A non-transient non-community water system regularly serves at least 25 of the same people for more than six months a year, but not where they live. Schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals with their own supply are typical examples. Delaware has 82 active non-transient non-community water systems, 17% 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 First Step Preschool?

EPA lists First Step Preschool 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 First Step Preschool have drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. The violations listed here began between October 2003 and October 2024. By type: 7 monitoring and reporting and 5 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Lead and Copper Rule (7 of them). EPA lists 12 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
2024-10-01	Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2011-10-01	Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2010-01-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Nitratecode 1040	Yes	Resolved
2009-10-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Nitratecode 1040	Yes	Resolved
2009-04-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Nitratecode 1040	Yes	Resolved
2007-01-01	Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2006-07-01	Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2006-01-01	Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2005-07-01	Monitoring and reportingWater Quality Parameter M/R · code 53	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2004-01-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Nitratecode 1040	Yes	Resolved
2004-01-01	Monitoring and reportingInitial Tap Sampling for Pb and Cu · code 51	Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000	No	Resolved
2003-10-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02	Nitratecode 1040	Yes	Resolved

The 12 most recent 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.

First Step Preschool: frequently asked questions

Who runs First Step Preschool?

First Step Preschool (PWSID DE00A0415) is a non-transient non-community water system privately owned. It is regulated by the DE state drinking water program.

How many people does First Step Preschool serve?

First Step Preschool reports serving 50 people through 1 service connection in Sussex County, Delaware.

Where does First Step Preschool 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 First Step Preschool have any drinking water violations?

Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. 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 First Step Preschool'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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 5 are health-based, and the most recent began in October 2024. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the DE state drinking water program.

Where can I find First Step Preschool's water quality report?

The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. First Step Preschool is a non-transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.

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, “First Step Preschool, PWSID DE00A0415, Delaware”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/delaware/first-step-preschool-de00a0415 (data as of October 1, 2026).