Delaware drinking water upgrades get $18 million

The money will be loaned to cities and towns throughout the state to improve the quality of drinking water for more than 150,000 Delawareans.

Construction work will begin this summer on upgrades to treatment plants, water mains, wells, and other facilities in all three counties.  Depending on the complexity of the work, the projects will take one to two years to complete.

“The mission of the Office of Drinking Water is to protect the health of Delawareans by assuring safe drinking water through comprehensive monitoring, technical assistance and public education,” said Thom May with the state Division of Public Health.  He says the state’s revolving drinking water fund “is an important part of DPH’s ongoing commitment to high quality drinking water.”

One of the biggest projects is a plan to expand Wilmington’s water distribution system beyond the city limits for a population of about 110,000 people.  That work will cost $4 million.  The city of Wilmington will utilize a second loan worth $2.5 million to upgrade its water treatment plant. 

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In Milford, $4 million will be used to build a new treatment plant.  Selbyville will use $1.4 million for a new well installation and transmission main.  Seaford will get $1.9 million to install meters to promote water conservation.  Georgetown will upgrade its treatment plant with a $3.3 million loan.  Other projects worth less than one million dollars are planned for Middletown, Delmar, Blades and Greenwood. 

Learn more about Delaware’s efforts to improve the quality of drinking water at the water quality portal on the state website.

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