Physical, compliance, and capital-execution pressure reflected in the blended headline composite.
States / Delaware
Delaware
Explore Delaware drinking-water system scores, stress signals, infrastructure risk, and statewide market context across 34 scored service markets serving approximately 954,433 people. This state profile highlights what is happening and why it matters using water-system, fiscal, capital, and signal context.
Delaware has an average MISI infrastructure stress score of 24.3/100 in the Watch band as of 2026-05-19. Public records summarize recent drinking-water violations, PFAS monitoring records, lead and copper context, and source-water mix across 34 covered systems. Updated May 2026.
National context
States sized by scored-market count. Color reflects average stress band.
34Markets scored
24.3Headline composite
~954KPop. served
150Active signals
Band distribution (MISI)
State headline composite
Component of current headline composite
Affordability, demand-base, and parent-government fiscal pressure reflected in the blended headline composite.
Staleness, disclosure freshness, and reporting-visibility effects reflected in the blended headline composite.
Wilmington Water Department46.6fragileUnited Water Delaware36.8watchDewey Beach Water Department34.3watchSmyrna Water Department33.5watchBethany Bay Ocean View33.1watchNew Castle Water Department32.3watchNewark Water Department32.1watchArtesian Water Company31.8watchCamden District31.5watchGarrison Lake District29.5watchLewes Board of Public Works29.1watchDover Water Department27.5watchAngola District24.6watchFox Hunter Crossing23.8watchThomas Cove23.8watchCamden Wyoming Sewer and Water Authority23.5watchDover Air Force Base23.5watchMilford Water Department23.5watchChurch Creek23.5watchRehoboth District23.1watchSouth Bethany23.1watchMiddletown Water Department22.3watchBayside21.1watchGeorgetown Water Department20.8watchMeadows District19.1stableSussex Shores Water Company19.1stableLong Neck Water Company19.1stableSmyrna Rest and Information Center18.3stableNorthwest District18.3stableSeaford Water Department17.2stableRehoboth Beach Water Department17.2stableBethany Beach Water Department7.9stableLaurel Water Department7.9stableSelbyville Water Department7.9stableWilmington Water Department46.6fragileUnited Water Delaware36.8watchDewey Beach Water Department34.3watchSmyrna Water Department33.5watchBethany Bay Ocean View33.1watchNew Castle Water Department32.3watchNewark Water Department32.1watchArtesian Water Company31.8watchCamden District31.5watchGarrison Lake District29.5watchLewes Board of Public Works29.1watchDover Water Department27.5watchAngola District24.6watchFox Hunter Crossing23.8watchThomas Cove23.8watchCamden Wyoming Sewer and Water Authority23.5watchDover Air Force Base23.5watchMilford Water Department23.5watchChurch Creek23.5watchRehoboth District23.1watchSouth Bethany23.1watchMiddletown Water Department22.3watchBayside21.1watchGeorgetown Water Department20.8watchMeadows District19.1stableSussex Shores Water Company19.1stableLong Neck Water Company19.1stableSmyrna Rest and Information Center18.3stableNorthwest District18.3stableSeaford Water Department17.2stableRehoboth Beach Water Department17.2stableBethany Beach Water Department7.9stableLaurel Water Department7.9stableSelbyville Water Department7.9stable
State interpretation guide
How to read Delaware headline composite
Plain-language summary
Delaware currently shows an average MISI headline composite of 24.3 versus a national average of 25.0. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings.
Why this page stands out
- 34 scored systems are included in this state view, with explicit confidence and source-backed context.
- State posture is benchmarked against national averages, not evaluated in isolation.
- Top system links below connect state-level findings directly to profile-level diagnostics.
What to do next
- Review the executive context to understand the state-level pressure pattern.
- Open top system profiles to inspect what is actually driving stress at market level.
- Use Track to monitor changes in high-stress systems over time.
Public record layer
Statewide Water Quality Context
Stored public-record context for recent drinking-water violations, contaminant monitoring, and source-water mix across covered systems. This is not a tap-water safety determination and does not change the MISI score.
Systems with recent violations
1 of 34Systems with recent public violation rows.Source-water mix34 systems
- Surface water5
- Groundwater29
- Purchased water0
- Mixed source0
- Not stored0
Latest identity snapshot: Dec 31, 2025
Coverage
- Violation, enforcement, and compliance-burden counts use the recent 3 years window for dated stored records.
- Drinking-water identity snapshots are stored for 33 of 34 included scored systems.
- PFAS monitoring summary records are stored for 29 of 34 included systems; missing records are not treated as non-detections.
- Lead and copper summary records are stored for 33 of 34 included systems; missing records are not treated as absence of lead/copper context.
Water quality questionsDefinitions and public-record context
- How many covered systems in Delaware have recent recorded drinking-water violations?
- Stored public records show 1 covered system with recent drinking-water violations, with 2 recorded violations across 34 covered systems in the recent 3 years window.
- How does Munimetric summarize PFAS public-record context in Delaware?
- Stored contaminant-monitoring summaries are present for 29 covered systems; 22 systems have PFAS detection context in this state summary.
- How does Munimetric summarize lead & copper context in Delaware?
- Stored lead & copper summaries are present for 33 covered systems; 16 systems have violation or action-level context in this state summary.
- What source-water types are represented across covered Delaware systems?
- Stored identity records group covered Delaware systems by source-water type: Surface water: 5, Groundwater: 29.
- Where can I find official drinking-water records for Delaware?
- The Official records drawer lists Public drinking-water profile, Contaminant monitoring records links where currently available for Delaware.
- Is this a real-time statewide tap-water condition rating?
- No. This is not a real-time tap-water condition determination. Munimetric summarizes stored public-record context for research and navigation, and this layer does not change MISI.
Official records
- Public drinking-water profileEPA ECHO: Federal drinking-water dashboard and public-record search entry point.
- Contaminant monitoring recordsEPA UCMR: Federal contaminant-monitoring program reference and public data entry point.
Methodology/source notes
- Methodology/source notesDisplayed from stored public drinking-water records and official program references. This layer does not change MISI.
- Enforcement historyEPA ECHO / SDWIS: Violation and enforcement counts are aggregated from stored public compliance records across covered systems.
- Contaminant monitoring recordsEPA UCMR: PFAS context uses stored contaminant-monitoring summaries where available; missing records are not treated as non-detections.
- State drinking-water programOfficial link not currently stored for this state program mapping.
Top recent compliance-burden systemsRecent 3 years
| System | Population | Source water | Recent violations | Recent enforcement | Public-record flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Water DepartmentDE0000663 | 107,976 | Surface water | 2 | 6 | recent violations recorded, recent enforcement history, recent monitoring/reporting failures, PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Dover Water DepartmentDE0000571 | 39,491 | Groundwater | 0 | 2 | recent enforcement history, PFAS detections in stored records |
| Veolia Water Delaware, IncDE0000564 | 100,495 | Surface water | 0 | 0 | PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Rehoboth Pump District (Tui)DE0000991 | 81,417 | Groundwater | 0 | 0 | PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Bethany Bay Pump DistrictDE0000221 | 51,000 | Groundwater | 0 | 0 | PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Newark Water DepartmentDE0000630 | 40,000 | Surface water | 0 | 0 | PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Dewey Beach Water DepartmentDE0000825 | 31,000 | Groundwater | 0 | 0 | PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
| Artesian Southern Sussex RegionalDE00A0323 | 18,015 | Groundwater | 0 | 0 | PFAS detections in stored records, lead/copper context |
This is not a real-time tap-water condition determination. For current advisories or health guidance, consult the utility or state drinking-water program.
Executive context
What This Page Shows
34 of the community drinking-water systems in Delaware are currently scored. Analytics below are calculated from this covered subset only. Covered systems serve approximately 954K people.
What the Data Suggests
Delaware has 34 scored service markets in the Munimetric coverage set, covering roughly 954,433 residents in total. At the latest reading, the state-level average lands at 24.3 out of 100, indicating early but meaningful signs of structural stress in aggregate. A relatively small share — roughly 3% — currently sit in elevated-stress bands.
Across state markets, Operational Stress (11.3 points average) and Capex Pressure (8.3) are the leading contributors to headline stress. The relatively close spacing suggests pressure is spread across more than one dimension.
150 active signals are recorded across state markets. The most prevalent is Current Drought Severity, affecting 34 markets.
State-level average stress has been relatively steady between recent observation periods, suggesting the current picture reflects persistent conditions rather than a sudden shift.
This summary is based on structured, source-backed public data and is intended for research and monitoring only. It is not investment advice, a credit opinion, or municipal advisory guidance.
Recent Movement
Latest average MISI is 24.3 as of May 19, 2026. Movement since May 17, 2026 is flat.
Compact summary from 42 stored state observations.
State Family Contribution Summary
Operational Stress11.3 / 20.0
Capex Pressure8.3 / 20.0
Revenue Fragility3.8 / 20.0
Governance Risk0.9 / 20.0
Rate Constraint0.0 / 20.0
Signals
Signal Frequency
| Signal | Severity | Markets affected | % of scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Drought Severity | high | 34 | 100% |
| Climate Hazard Exposure | high | 34 | 100% |
| PFAS Contamination Risk | high | 22 | 65% |
| Housing Market Weakness | medium | 18 | 53% |
| Lead & Copper Rule Risk | high | 16 | 47% |
| High-AGI Out-Migration | medium | 10 | 29% |
| Compliance Escalation | high | 7 | 21% |
| Infrastructure Capital Gap | medium | 3 | 9% |
| Utility Data Staleness | high | 3 | 9% |
| Parent-Government Fiscal Stress | high | 3 | 9% |
Markets
Top Markets
| # | Market | Score | Band | Population | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilmington Water Department | 46.6 | Fragile | 108K | 8 |
| 2 | United Water Delaware | 36.8 | Watch | 100K | 7 |
| 3 | Dewey Beach Water Department | 34.3 | Watch | 31K | 5 |
| 4 | Smyrna Water Department | 33.5 | Watch | 12K | 6 |
| 5 | Bethany Bay Ocean View | 33.1 | Watch | 51K | 5 |
| 6 | New Castle Water Department | 32.3 | Watch | 6K | 6 |
| 7 | Newark Water Department | 32.1 | Watch | 40K | 7 |
| 8 | Artesian Water Company | 31.8 | Watch | 231K | 6 |
| 9 | Camden District | 31.5 | Watch | 17K | 5 |
| 10 | Garrison Lake District | 29.5 | Watch | 13K | 5 |
| 11 | Lewes Board of Public Works | 29.1 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 12 | Dover Water Department | 27.5 | Watch | 39K | 5 |
| 13 | Angola District | 24.6 | Watch | 13K | 4 |
| 14 | Fox Hunter Crossing | 23.8 | Watch | 7K | 5 |
| 15 | Thomas Cove | 23.8 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 16 | Camden Wyoming Sewer and Water Authority | 23.5 | Watch | 5K | 4 |
| 17 | Dover Air Force Base | 23.5 | Watch | 11K | 4 |
| 18 | Milford Water Department | 23.5 | Watch | 10K | 4 |
| 19 | Church Creek | 23.5 | Watch | 10K | 4 |
| 20 | Rehoboth District | 23.1 | Watch | 81K | 4 |
Comparison
State Comparison
National average: 25.0
| Rank | State | Avg Score | Band | Markets | Delta vs State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Texas | 24.9 | Watch | 987 | +0.5 |
| 28 | Arkansas | 24.3 | Watch | 158 | +0.0 |
| 29 | Delaware | 24.3 | Watch | 34 | +0.0 |
| 30 | South Dakota | 24.3 | Watch | 45 | -0.0 |
| 31 | Iowa | 22.8 | Watch | 131 | -1.5 |
Analytical posture
State Stress Analytics
Score Distribution
Distribution of scored market scores with the state average overlay.
34 markets plotted.
Stress vs Population
Each point is a scored market; tooltip reveals market-level context.
34 markets plotted.
Population View
People served by community water systems in Delaware, colored by stress band.
~954K people served by 34 systems in Delaware
Stable
Watch
Fragile
High Stress
Critical
34 scored systems · colored by stress band
Peer Constellation
Select a market to see its nearest peers by score similarity.
24 nearest peers by score distance.
Score Trend
Latest
24.3
Trend
+15.3
Observations
42
Extended layers
Advanced State Context
Priority views, detailed registers, and methodology supporting the analytical core above.
Markets & signals
Priority Views
| # | Service Market | Score | Band | Pop. | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilmington Water Department | 46.6 | Fragile | 108K | 8 |
| 2 | United Water Delaware | 36.8 | Watch | 100K | 7 |
| 3 | Dewey Beach Water Department | 34.3 | Watch | 31K | 5 |
| 4 | Smyrna Water Department | 33.5 | Watch | 12K | 6 |
| 5 | Bethany Bay Ocean View | 33.1 | Watch | 51K | 5 |
| 6 | New Castle Water Department | 32.3 | Watch | 6K | 6 |
| 7 | Newark Water Department | 32.1 | Watch | 40K | 7 |
| 8 | Artesian Water Company | 31.8 | Watch | 231K | 6 |
| 9 | Camden District | 31.5 | Watch | 17K | 5 |
| 10 | Garrison Lake District | 29.5 | Watch | 13K | 5 |
| 11 | Lewes Board of Public Works | 29.1 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 12 | Dover Water Department | 27.5 | Watch | 39K | 5 |
| 13 | Angola District | 24.6 | Watch | 13K | 4 |
| 14 | Fox Hunter Crossing | 23.8 | Watch | 7K | 5 |
| 15 | Thomas Cove | 23.8 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 16 | Camden Wyoming Sewer and Water Authority | 23.5 | Watch | 5K | 4 |
| 17 | Dover Air Force Base | 23.5 | Watch | 11K | 4 |
| 18 | Milford Water Department | 23.5 | Watch | 10K | 4 |
| 19 | Church Creek | 23.5 | Watch | 10K | 4 |
| 20 | Rehoboth District | 23.1 | Watch | 81K | 4 |
Detailed records
Registers
| # | Market | Score | Band | Population | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilmington Water Department | 46.6 | Fragile | 108K | 8 |
| 2 | United Water Delaware | 36.8 | Watch | 100K | 7 |
| 3 | Dewey Beach Water Department | 34.3 | Watch | 31K | 5 |
| 4 | Smyrna Water Department | 33.5 | Watch | 12K | 6 |
| 5 | Bethany Bay Ocean View | 33.1 | Watch | 51K | 5 |
| 6 | New Castle Water Department | 32.3 | Watch | 6K | 6 |
| 7 | Newark Water Department | 32.1 | Watch | 40K | 7 |
| 8 | Artesian Water Company | 31.8 | Watch | 231K | 6 |
| 9 | Camden District | 31.5 | Watch | 17K | 5 |
| 10 | Garrison Lake District | 29.5 | Watch | 13K | 5 |
| 11 | Lewes Board of Public Works | 29.1 | Watch | 10K | 5 |
| 12 | Dover Water Department | 27.5 | Watch | 39K | 5 |
| 13 | Angola District | 24.6 | Watch | 13K | 4 |
| 14 | Fox Hunter Crossing | 23.8 | Watch | 7K | 5 |
| 15 | Thomas Cove | 23.8 | Watch | 8K | 5 |
| 16 | Camden Wyoming Sewer and Water Authority | 23.5 | Watch | 5K | 4 |
| 17 | Dover Air Force Base | 23.5 | Watch | 11K | 4 |
| 18 | Milford Water Department | 23.5 | Watch | 10K | 4 |
| 19 | Church Creek | 23.5 | Watch | 10K | 4 |
| 20 | Rehoboth District | 23.1 | Watch | 81K | 4 |
State intelligence is assembled from EPA SDWA compliance records, American Community Survey demographic and economic indicators, FEMA NRI hazard exposure profiles, and state-reported financial disclosures. Each service market receives a MISI score (0–100) based on five families: Operational Stress, Capex Pressure, Revenue Fragility, Rate Constraint, and Governance Risk. Scores are deterministic and threshold-based. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings. Peer context is provided by percentile ranking within population-based cohorts.
Munimetric tracks infrastructure stress across 34 community drinking-water systems in Delaware, covering compliance conditions, capital needs, revenue and rate pressure, and governance risk. Use this page to research which systems face the highest structural stress and how Delaware compares nationally.
- Which water systems in Delaware face the most infrastructure stress?
- The highest-stress systems in Delaware are ranked by MISI score above. Stress reflects operational burden, capital gaps, revenue fragility, rate affordability constraints, and governance risk—not a single compliance event. In v0.1.2, the headline composite remains a blended structural stress measure rather than a pure physical-condition index. A frozen national reference and a 50 percent single-factor cap reduce the dominance of near-universal and very rare factors, while the component bars continue to separate infrastructure, socioeconomic, and observability readings.
- How does Delaware compare to other states for drinking water infrastructure risk?
- Delaware is compared against all 50 states and territories using average MISI score, market count, and band distribution. The state comparison table above shows where Delaware ranks nationally and how its average score compares.
- Are there lead pipe or corrosion-related concerns in Delaware water systems?
- Where lead and copper rule compliance data is available from EPA SDWA records, Munimetric factors it into the Operational Stress family. Specific lead service line inventories vary by system. Individual system profiles contain the most detailed compliance context available.
- What compliance signals are active in Delaware?
- Munimetric tracks signals such as compliance escalation, monitoring and reporting failures, data staleness, and financial stress indicators across Delaware systems. The signal frequency table above summarizes which signals are most prevalent statewide.
- Does Munimetric track boil water advisories in Delaware?
- Munimetric does not track real-time boil water advisories. For current advisories, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program. Munimetric monitors structural conditions—compliance posture, infrastructure stress, and governance risk—that provide broader context around system reliability.
- Wilmington Water Department water system profile
- United Water Delaware drinking water infrastructure profile
- Dewey Beach Water Department MISI score & system data
- Smyrna Water Department water system profile
- Bethany Bay Ocean View drinking water infrastructure profile
- New Castle Water Department MISI score & system data
- Newark Water Department water system profile
- Artesian Water Company drinking water infrastructure profile
- Camden District MISI score & system data
- Garrison Lake District water system profile
- Lewes Board of Public Works drinking water infrastructure profile
- Dover Water Department MISI score & system data
- Angola District water system profile
- Fox Hunter Crossing drinking water infrastructure profile
- Thomas Cove MISI score & system data
Keep monitoring this state
Workflow access covers exports, Track, Munex, alerts, and repeat monitoring tools.
Water Infrastructure in Delaware
Munimetric tracks infrastructure stress across 34 community drinking-water systems in Delaware. Each system receives a Munimetric Infrastructure Stress Index (MISI) score from 0 to 100, calculated across five risk families: Operational Stress, Capex Pressure, Revenue Fragility, Rate Constraint, and Governance Risk. Higher scores indicate more structural stress. Scores are source-backed and deterministic, drawing from EPA SDWA compliance records, American Community Survey demographic and economic data, FEMA National Risk Index hazard profiles, and state financial disclosures.
State-level monitoring shows which systems face the highest structural stress, how Delaware compares against other states nationally, and which monitoring signals are most active across the state. Each individual system profile includes compliance history, score family drivers, peer rankings within population-based cohorts where safeguards pass, and public source context. Full provenance cards and source workbench views remain workflow-gated. Munimetric covers community water systems across all 50 states and territories. This is structural risk research—not a water quality rating, advisory feed, or credit rating. Updated May 2026.
The statewide public-record layer adds drinking-water violation categories, PFAS monitoring summaries where stored, lead and copper context, source-water mix, and official record links across covered systems. These records help explain water-system context alongside infrastructure stress without turning Munimetric into a tap-water safety determination.
- What is the Munimetric score for Delaware?
- Munimetric assigns a state-level average MISI score based on the individual scores of all covered community water systems in Delaware. The state average, band distribution, and market-level rankings are shown on this page. Higher MISI values indicate greater structural stress.
- Which water systems in Delaware face the most infrastructure stress?
- The state page ranks the highest-stress systems in Delaware by MISI score. Stress reflects operational burden, capital gaps, revenue fragility, rate affordability constraints, and governance risk, not a single compliance event. The headline remains a blended structural stress composite rather than a pure physical-condition index. Workflow actions remain reserved for account access.
- How does Delaware compare to other states for drinking water infrastructure risk?
- Delaware is compared against all 50 states and territories using average MISI score, market count, and band distribution. Munimetric tracks nationwide coverage across 9,000+ scored service markets.
- Are there lead pipe or corrosion-related concerns in Delaware water systems?
- Where lead and copper rule compliance data is available from EPA SDWA records, Munimetric factors it into the Operational Stress family score. Specific lead service line inventories vary by system. Individual system profiles contain the most detailed compliance context available.
- Does Munimetric include PFAS monitoring context for Delaware water systems?
- Munimetric summarizes stored PFAS monitoring context where public contaminant-monitoring records are available. Missing PFAS summaries remain missing records, not non-detections, and this public-record layer does not change the MISI score by itself.
- What compliance signals are active in Delaware?
- Munimetric tracks signals such as compliance escalation, monitoring and reporting failures, population decline, income erosion, data staleness, and parent-government fiscal stress across Delaware water systems.
- Does Munimetric track boil water advisories in Delaware?
- Munimetric does not track real-time boil water advisories. For current advisories, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program. Munimetric monitors structural conditions that provide context around system reliability over time.
- U.S. water infrastructure stress monitoring homepage
- How Munimetric scores drinking water systems
- Browse all water system profiles in the Screener
- Compare water infrastructure risk across all U.S. states
- Browse Delaware water systems by MISI stress band
- Browse Delaware water systems by population served
- Browse Delaware water systems by source-water type
- Water infrastructure research & guides
- Munimetric analytical rankings
- Compare states by average MISI
- Compare states by High Stress share
- National High-Stress water-system ranking