Garrison Lake Pump District
EPA ID: DE0000004 · 13,467 people served · 8 ZIP codes
Looking at the EPA enforcement file for Garrison Lake Pump District, 7 violations appear in the five-year dataset, but none remain open — the utility has addressed each finding and is in current compliance, with no pending enforcement affecting the 13,467 people in its service area.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Garrison Lake Pump District Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade A
Service Area Demographics
The Garrison Lake Pump District serves a community with a median household income of $66,885 and an estimated 114,481 residents across its service area. Approximately 46% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
💧 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Garrison Lake Pump District's water is pumped from underground aquifers. Groundwater is naturally filtered through rock and soil, but it can be vulnerable to PFAS contamination, nitrates from agriculture, and industrial chemicals that seep into the water table.
About 0% of homes in Kent County, Delaware rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Superfund Proximity Note: This service area ranks in the 80th percentile nationally for proximity to Superfund (NPL) sites. Groundwater sources near contaminated sites may face elevated risk from industrial chemicals.
Infrastructure Risk
Detected Contaminants
How Garrison Lake Pump District compares to EPA limits
What This Means For You
Surface Water Treatment Rule at 5 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Stage 1 DBP Rule at 2 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
PFAS Detected in Service Area
PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been detected in water serving this system's area. 5 detections recorded. 2 exceed federal EPA limits (4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS).
Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in Delaware
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
Garrison Lake Pump District (EPA ID: DE0000004) is a community water system in Delaware that serves approximately 13,467 people from groundwater sources.
This system provides water to 8 ZIP codes across 4 communities.
Average Home Safety Score: A (91/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Recent Violations
| Date | Contaminant | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 16, 2024 | Stage 1 DBP Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| October 1, 2024 | Stage 1 DBP Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| July 1, 2023 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
Contaminants Detected
The following contaminants have been flagged in EPA records for this water system:
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | Health-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Treatment Failure | 5 | No |
| Stage 1 DBP Rule | Treatment Failure | 2 | No |
Lead & Copper
EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data for ZIP codes served by this system:
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 3 (Low Risk)
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 5 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 3 additional ZIPs inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
- 19901 — Dover
- 19903 — Dover
- 19904 — Dover
- 19905 — Dover
- 19906 — Dover
- 19936 — Cheswold
- 19938 — Clayton
- 19977 — Smyrna
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Garrison Lake Pump District (DE0000004) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Garrison Lake Pump District water safe to drink?
Garrison Lake Pump District has only monitoring/reporting violations, which are procedural in nature. The system meets federal health-based standards.
How many people does Garrison Lake Pump District serve?
Garrison Lake Pump District serves approximately 13,467 people across 8 ZIP codes in Delaware.
Where does Garrison Lake Pump District get its water?
The primary water source is groundwater.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from Tidewater Utilities, Inc. — Garrison's Lake District Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: Tidewater Utilities, Inc. — Garrison's Lake District Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
Delaware DPH source water assessments completed per DE SWAPP. Susceptibility rated for 8 contaminant categories. Report at delawaresourcewater.org/assessments.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Treatment chemicals and what each one does
Chemical names are reported verbatim by the utility. Purpose categories are ZipCheckup annotations based on standard drinking-water treatment practice.
Watershed exposure sources reported
Land-use and natural conditions identified in the utility's source-water assessment as potential contamination sources upstream of treatment.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from Tidewater Utilities, Inc. — Garrison's Lake District Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Tested Clean
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were detected.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
Initial LCRI inventory completed. Service line material tracking available at trinnex.cloud/leadcast/public/login?tenantName=Tidewater.
Lead Service Line Replacement Tracker
This water utility's lead service line (LSL) replacement program is tracked from public Consumer Confidence Report filings. Email signup notifies subscribers when the utility files an updated replacement plan or progress milestone.
Tidewater Utilities, Inc. — Garrison's Lake District
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. LSL replacement-program data is sourced from public CCR filings published by the utility. Subscription notifications are based on automated parsing of subsequent CCR releases.
Learn more about Lead and Copper Rule replacement requirements →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
Notable events and violations
This section summarizes events the utility chose to disclose in its most recent Consumer Confidence Report, plus any federal compliance violations the utility recorded against itself. Both lists are utility-authored — ZipCheckup does not audit, judge, or reorder them.
Notable events from the utility's CCR
These bullet entries are the utility's own narration of operational, regulatory, or infrastructure events during the reporting period.
- Tidewater Utilities is a large multi-system utility serving 500+ communities in DE. PWSID DE0000004 is the Garrison's Lake pump district (Cheswold/Piney Point aquifer) serving many communities in Kent County.
- The CCR text file is the master Tidewater report covering 30+ sub-systems across multiple PWSIDs. Contaminant data for DE0000004 specifically is on page 24 of the printed report but was not extracted in plain text form from the PDF.
- Annual production: 3.1 billion gallons through 85 production plants with 172 wells in 2024.
- Company serving ~177,528 Delawareans since 1964.
ZipCheckup note: items above reflect what the utility published in its most recent CCR. Federal violation records are also tracked separately by the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — the SDWIS record is the authoritative federal source for any specific regulatory action.
How Water Systems Appear in Rankings
Water systems are evaluated by violation history, contaminant detections, and service population. Larger systems with more service connections appear in more rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What You Can Do
Test your water
Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter →
Check your specific ZIP code
Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report →
Contact your utility
Garrison Lake Pump District (EPA ID: DE0000004) — request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.