Well water in Delaware township, Pennsylvania
In Delaware township, none of 39 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate, based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is coliform bacteria: Recommended for every private well, every year, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
244 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 14 wells, 1972 to 2015; nitrate has the most at 39. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Delaware township. Above limit means above the EPA maximum contaminant level; where EPA has no enforceable limit, the row shows a health guideline or nuisance level instead.
| Contaminant | Above limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1972 to 2015 | 39 | 33% | 0 | 1.1 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1972 to 2015 | 23 | 70% | 0.24 | 8 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1972 to 2015 | 20 | 75% | 0.095 | 0.3 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1972 to 2015 | 18 | 39% | 0 | 0.04 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1972 to 2015 | 18 | 67% | 0.073 | 0.78 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 2001 to 2015 | 17 | 94% | 0.182 | 1.31 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Sodium 1972 to 2015 | no limit | 20 | 100% | 19.3 | 47.3 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Chloride 1972 to 2015 | no limit | 20 | 90% | 17.7 | 250 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Iron 1972 to 2015 | no limit | 20 | 100% | 374 | 17,900 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1972 to 2015 | no limit | 20 | 100% | 163 | 901 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Radon 2001 to 2015 | no limit | 17 | 100% | 330 | 2,460 | 2,000 pCi/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: E. coli (8), Radium (226 + 228) (4).
Closer than the town
See the sampled wells near your address
The same records, drawn around one point: which wells within a few miles were sampled and what they found, how deep the wells next to you were drilled, and any leaking tank or cleanup site within a mile.
Check my addressWhat this means
Among contaminants with a federal limit, no tested sample in Delaware township came back above it. That is reassuring, but sampling is uneven: wells that were never tested are not in this data.
Chloride, Iron, and Manganese are widespread in local groundwater. They are mainly a staining and taste problem, but high manganese also carries a health advisory for infants.
What to test for in Delaware township
- 1Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 2RadonMedian local reading is 330 pCi/L.
- 3NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 4IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5ManganeseDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6ChlorideDetected in 90% of local samples.
- 7FluorideDetected in 75% of local samples.
Test your Delaware township well for coliform bacteria, radon and nitrate
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
Just want bacteria checked first? Tap Score coliform and E. coli test, $99. Coliform and E. coli are the tests every well needs every year.
Want a quick look before paying for a lab? Home well water test strips on Amazon check hardness, iron, pH and nitrate in minutes. They are a screen, not a result: arsenic, bacteria, uranium and PFAS need a certified lab.
Affiliate links: the merchant pays us a commission and the price is the same for you. It does not change what the data above says. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Where to get a well tested in Pennsylvania: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Delaware township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Delaware township
396 domestic wells in Delaware township are on record with the state. 98% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 275 feet deep (one in ten goes past 500 feet).
In a typical Delaware township well, bedrock starts about 20 feet down, the median yield is 10 gallons per minute, 7% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.
Bedrock wells are where arsenic, uranium and radon come from: the water sits in fractures in granite and metamorphic rock and picks up whatever the rock carries. That is why testing for those three matters more here than in a dug or gravel well.
Find your own well's report
The state keeps the driller's report for most wells drilled since 1984. It tells you how deep your well is, where bedrock starts, and how much water it makes, which decides what treatment can work.
- Open PaGWIS (Pennsylvania Geological Survey) and choose Water Well.
- The record lists depth, depth to bedrock, yield and use; drillers have reported new wells to the state since 1966.
Pennsylvania has no private well construction standard and does not require testing, so many older wells have no record at all.
The rock under Delaware township
New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers
Carbonate-rock. Limestone and dolomite move water through cracks and solution channels, sometimes very fast. Bacteria and nitrate can travel from the surface to a well in days, so annual bacteria testing matters more here than most places; hardness is a given.
Classification from the USGS Principal Aquifers of the United States (national map, 2003 edition, GIS release 2015), read at the town centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.
Official help in Pennsylvania
Two places to start that are not selling anything: the state program that answers private well questions, and its list of labs certified to run drinking water tests. A certified lab is the difference between a result you can act on and a number.
- Private Wells, PA DEP
- Laboratory Accreditation Program, PA DEP
Treatment that fits the local profile
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Systems we would look at first
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For iron
Iron and manganese oxidizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,800
Air-injection or greensand media; fixes staining at the source.
Free, no obligation
Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Delaware township
No water treatment company serves Delaware township through Well Water Nerd yet. We are signing licensed companies on county by county: they test at your tap for free, walk you through the numbers, and quote treatment only if something needs fixing. Leave your details and you are first in line. Nothing is shared until a company joins for Delaware township, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Delaware township?
The typical domestic well in Delaware township is 275 feet deep, based on 396 wells reported to the state. One in ten is deeper than 500 feet. 98% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Delaware township?
Arsenic was detected in 70% of 23 public well samples in Delaware township, and 0% were above the EPA limit of 10 ug/L. Arsenic has no taste or smell; a lab test is the only way to know your level.
How high is radon in well water in Delaware township?
The median radon level across 17 public samples in Delaware township was 330 pCi/L, with a high of 2,460 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Delaware township?
Test for bacteria and nitrate every year. Test once for arsenic, uranium, radon, fluoride, manganese and PFAS, then again every three to five years or after any change in taste, color, or plumbing.
Towns near Delaware township
Closest first. Groundwater does not stop at a line on a map, so the next town over is a fair second opinion.
Want the numbers themselves? Download the Pennsylvania dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 244 samples in Delaware township. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Pennsylvania Groundwater Information System (PaGWIS) wells: 475 well records in Delaware township, 396 domestic. Water well records from the Pennsylvania Groundwater Information System, Pennsylvania Geological Survey (DCNR). Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
Non-detects count as samples and are treated as zero when computing medians. Exactly at the limit counts as not above it. A sample belongs to the town containing the well's reported coordinates.