Where does Delaware get their drinking water?

South of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, all water used for public and domestic supply and more than 98 percent of water used for irrigation is pumped from underground, according the Delaware Geological Survey. North of the canal, 70 of public water comes from creeks and rivers, with the rest from groundwater.



People Also Ask

More than 17 million people get their drinking water from the Delaware River basin, including two of the five largest cities in the U.S.—New York City and Philadelphia.

MORE DETAILS

From Pennsylvania, the major tributaries are the Lackawaxen, Lehigh, and Schuylkill rivers. From New Jersey, the Big Flatbrook, Pequest, Musconetcong, and Maurice rivers, plus Oldmans, Raccoon and Rancocas creeks, flow into the Delaware.

MORE DETAILS

The 2023 Delaware River chemical spill was a failure of equipment that occurred on March 24, 2023 at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical plant in Bristol, Pennsylvania in the United States, which resulted in a leak of between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and methyl methacrylate into Otter Creek, ...

MORE DETAILS

Swimming in areas of the river outside the life guarded beaches is permitted, but not recommended. Strong currents, sharp drop-offs, and constantly changing river conditions make many areas unsafe for swimming. Wearing a properly fitting life jacket is strongly recommended when swimming.

MORE DETAILS

However, the most famous fact about the Delaware River is the famous crossing of it by George Washington in 1776 which helped him successfully surprise Hessian troops in New Jersey during the American Revolution.

MORE DETAILS

Vibrio are bacteria that occur naturally in brackish waters such as the Delaware Bay, the Inland Bays and tributaries, especially during warm weather months.

MORE DETAILS