Delaware to test and treat toxic PFAS in private wells free of charge

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Delaware residents who rely on private wells can now test their drinking water for toxic PFAS chemicals free of charge as part of a new state initiative.

State agencies are using federal grants, as well as funding from a PFAS contamination settlement from chemical manufacturers DuPont, Chemours and Corteva, to help residents test and treat their private well water.

About 20% of residents in Delaware rely on private wells for their drinking water because they live too far from a municipally operated or investor-owned water supply.

These water providers are required under state law to test and treat PFAS to levels of almost zero by 2029. However, private wells aren’t state or federally regulated, leaving those homeowners on their own.

Under the new initiative, private well water will be tested for 40 different types of PFAS chemicals and other contaminants at no cost. Residents may also qualify for funding to pay for filtration systems.

The program is led by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Department of Health and Social Services.

“We’re trying to bring to light not only the issue of PFAS within the state, but also the standard drinking water parameters,” said Todd Keyser, a hydrologist at DNREC. “As a well owner within the state, it is primarily your responsibility to ensure that you’re consuming good water.”

Why private well owners in Delaware should worry about PFAS

PFAS are widely used in consumer products such as nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing, as well as in firefighting foam. The “forever chemicals” have been linked to serious health problems, including some cancers, thyroid disease and developmental delays in children.

The health risks associated with PFAS, which can stay in the human bloodstream for years, have sparked numerous lawsuits against chemical manufacturers like DuPont, which used PFAS chemicals to manufacture its products, such as Teflon.

Delaware is no stranger to PFAS contamination. Its largest city, Wilmington, is known as the chemical capital of the world. PFAS chemicals have been detected in cities across the state, as well as in rivers and streams that supply drinking water.

The state’s private well testing kits, which historically have tested for contaminants like nitrates, iron and E.coli, are underutilized by residents, despite experts recommending people test their well water every year.

The state has offered free private well tests for these common types of contaminants for a number of years. This year marks the first time the state has offered PFAS testing.

Keyer said many residents don’t test their private wells for PFAS because they aren’t aware the chemicals exist, and because testing for “forever chemicals” can cost around $500. He said he hopes the new funding initiative will remove financial barriers, and educate residents about the importance of testing their well water.

How to get free well water testing in Delaware

DNREC doesn’t have an estimate for the number of private wells in the state that could be contaminated with “forever chemicals,” Keyser said. However, the new initiative will help the agency investigate potential sources of contamination, he said.

“The challenge in this is that as much as we’re sampling one well, we do recognize that so many people have neighbors and those neighbors could be impacted as well,” Keyser said.

He added that different divisions of DNREC will work together if their testing finds large numbers of PFAS contamination.

“So, we have a collective effort … to determine whether or not we have an isolated incident of … PFAS in a well or if it’s a larger topic that we may have to address more holistically and get assistance on,” he said.

DNREC will help residents with contaminated wells install filtration systems. People with low to moderate incomes may be eligible for funding to help pay for the cost of installation.

Residents must submit a request and consent form to receive private well testing. Keyser said residents should expect to wait two weeks to receive a response.