Poisoned wells in Millsboro. Water boil advisories in North Wilmington. Beach closures in Rehoboth. Tap water that tastes or smells “off” in Pike Creek. The National Guard distributing bottled water in Blades.Crumbling sewer pipes under the Christina River. Washed-out roads in Hockessin. Toxic algae in Lums Pond. Superfund sites in our backyards.

There’s a common thread running through headlines across the state: clean water – something that we once took for granted – is endangered in Delaware.

Every family in Delaware knows that they should be able to drink the water that comes out of our faucets, eat the fish that live in our streams, and swim in local ponds without concern for their health. But in too many cases, they can’t. 

Stories about contaminated water in Newark, Hockessin, Millsboro, and Blades are only the most recent examples. Generations of pollution have rendered almost 90 percent of Delaware’s waterways too impaired for their intended use. 

And the problem isn’t just toxic pollution from industrial sources:

• Thousands of New Castle Countians deal with routine flooding and drainage problems right in their back yards

• Toxic algae blooms in the Newark reservoir forced the cancellation of a triathlon due to concerns for swimmers’ health

• Communities in Sussex County don’t have safe drinking water – and to make matters worse, some are getting help far sooner than others 

• Delaware’s beaches routinely shut down after rainstorms due to elevated bacteria levels and runoff

• Residents of small communities like Ellendale face chronic issues with drinking water quality and wastewater infrastructure

• In New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties, water infrastructure – some dating back to the Nixon administration – is aging, crumbling, and risking contamination of the environment and our drinking water