We Refused the Simple Answers, So Our Community Got the Water Testing It Deserved
September 30, 2026
State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky
NEWS & OPINION:
We Refused the Simple Answers, So Our Community Got the Water Testing It Deserved
When families in Oak Orchard, Long Neck, Angola, and northeast Millsboro asked whether their drinking water was safe, some were told the culprit was nitrates. That simple answer was never going to be enough.
Private wells are not regulated like public water systems. Some complained of illnesses that their medical history couldn't explain. We had to do more.
Over 18 months, I convened the people who had expertise in groundwater and toxicology, and I included the state agencies and a local laboratory partner to run advanced sampling, not a single agricultural screen. Families now have written records. Every private-well household can get tested at no cost and get help paying for treatment when a result is high.
Public water systems must monitor under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and publish an annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Private-well owners are the operators. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend testing those wells about once a year. Too many households never get that far, because a serious test is expensive.
I asked for bipartisan help by inviting legislators with experience and expertise in these areas. State Reps. Kerri Evelyn Harris and Sophie Phillips offered their assistance.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) provided a leading hydrologist, and the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) added a senior environmental scientist to the team.
We recruited toxicologists from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)—a federal health organization that evaluates chemical exposures to help interpret advanced results.
The DNREC and DHSS secretaries demonstrated a commitment to excellence and to using sound science to resolve these issues. The hydrologist and senior environmental scientist obtained and interpreted multiple samples.
Hydrologists explain how water moves underground. A senior environmental scientist keeps the design honest. ATSDR toxicologists keep the health conversation tethered to evidence. The legislative team kept pushing the process forward.
From January 29, 2025, through July 20, 2026, we sampled wells in this review nine times. The panels changed as the science required. January 29 and February 5, 2025, used the Expanded Sampling List plus Standard Drinking Water Parameters from the Division of Public Health (DPH).
August 14, 2025, we paired the Expanded list with the 3 Parameter List. On January 14 and February 11, 2026, half the locations received the 06 Parameter List, and every pre-filtration sample — water taken before a household filter — received the 3 Parameter List. May 21, June 11, June 23, and July 20, 2026, used the 04 Parameter List. Those names sound bureaucratic. The chemistry inside them is not.
Together, the five lists covered seven families of analysis:
• Standard DPH parameters. Total coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) by the Colilert method, plus nitrate as nitrogen, fluoride, chloride, sulfate, iron, hardness, sodium, alkalinity, pH, and free chlorine.
• PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — persistent “forever chemicals.” The panel included PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, PFBA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and related replacement compounds, broader than the few PFAS with federal limits.
• Metals and cyanide. More than 20 elements, including arsenic, lead, copper, iron, and manganese.
• Pesticides. Persistent organochlorines such as DDT, chlordane, and lindane.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Fuels and solvents, including benzene, toluene, xylenes, chlorinated solvents, and MTBE.
• Pharmaceuticals and personal-care products. Wastewater tracers such as caffeine, cotinine, acetaminophen, metformin, and DEET.
• DNA microorganism analysis. Selected events used 16S rRNA gene sequencing, a genetic barcode for bacteria and archaea. It is a microbial census, not a substitute for the Colilert safety result.
In April 2024, EPA set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for public systems: PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (ppt); PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX at 10 ppt; and a Hazard Index of 1 for certain mixtures. Delaware uses those numbers as private-well action levels. An MCL is not a promise of zero chemicals. One sample is a snapshot. That is why we sampled repeatedly, with hydrologists, a senior environmental scientist, and ATSDR toxicologists reading the same pages.
A laboratory panel replaces uncertainty and guesswork with a record. Families who went through these events now have DHSS-provided results that are actionable for a water treatment professional to remediate and for their clinician to interpret.
No household in this district will need to wait for another special sampling day. Every private-well household can get tested at no cost and, if qualified, can seek assistance to help pay for treatment when the result is high.
DNREC and DHSS now offer statewide private-well sampling at no cost. After you file the form, staff or the state contractor contacts the household within two weeks. If results are above a threshold, DPH notifies residents within 48 hours. When PFAS or other
contaminants exceed Delaware’s action levels, filtration systems and maintenance may be provided. Qualifying low-income households may receive 100 percent of installation and one year of maintenance; moderate-income households may receive up to 50 percent of each.
That is the health improvement: a free sample, a health-agency call if the number is high, and a path to pay for the filter.
If you drink from a private well, submit the state’s Private Well Water Sampling Request and Consent Form. There is no charge for sampling or laboratory analysis. Read the program at de.gov/pfas and on DNREC’s PFAS in Delaware page. DHSS also keeps a private drinking-water page with kit locations.
Public-system customers should look up their utility on Delaware Drinking Water Watch. For federal health context on PFAS, use ATSDR’s PFAS pages.
If a result is high and cost is the barrier, tell DHSS when they call. Treatment help is income-based. United For ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) publishes the ALICE household income-status tool that Delaware agencies use when talking about households above poverty that still cannot cover a basic budget. Use it as a planning reference, then ask DHSS which assistance tier applies.
District 4 residents asked hard questions. Dismissing their concerns by blaming it on nitrate contamination would have been the easy option. We didn't take it, because they deserve better. We built a skilled team, ran nine sampling events across five advanced laboratory lists, and secured free water testing and treatment for residents.
Special thanks to DHSS and DNREC who, proved government can solve problems and work for those who hired them: the people!
LINKS:
Private Well Water Sampling Request and Consent Form:
PFAs in Delaware:
DHSS Private Drinking Water Webpage (including kit pick-up locations).
Public-system customers can look up their utility at:
For a federal health context on PFAS, visit:
Delaware agencies use the ALICE household income-status tool to identify households above the poverty line that still struggle to cover a basic budget. Use this as a planning reference when asking DHSS about assistance:
