Lewes BPW to expand water tests

The Lewes Board of Public Works is taking steps to ensure nothing like the Blades water crisis happens in Lewes. 

Officials voted unanimously March 28 to expand water-quality tests beyond the requirements set forth by the state and federal governments.

“I think this is a very good idea,” said BPW President C. Wendell Alfred. “Especially with what’s happening in the world and locally. We’re not exactly sure what those tests will involve, but I think it’s a wonderful thing to go beyond what the standards are.”

In February, residents of Blades were told their water was unsafe after tests by the Environmental Protection Agency came back positive for perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs. It was the first time Blades’ wells were tested for PFCs, so it is unknown how long the water supply was contaminated. 

In Lewes, the water is not tested for PFCs. BPW General Manager Darrin Gordon said PFC tests typically occur only in places where specific industries were based. PFCs are found in firefighting foams, cleaners, adhesives, insecticides, stains, and oil- and water-resistant products. Gordon said the EPA is testing at sites known to have used or produced items involving those products, and Lewes was not home to any that he’s aware of. 

“We don’t fall under the EPA’s target,” he said, but in the interest of precaution, officials want to test the water anyway.

He said he’s been working with a Pennsylvania-based lab to work out the details. 

Robert Kennedy, with whom the idea originated, said he wants to be proactive on behalf of BPW water customers.

“I have no reason to believe from test results that our water violates any federal or state drinking water standards,” he said. “I think it’s good water. I would like the board to know of any changes going on in the aquifer in sufficient time for us to deal with it so it isn’t a crisis. Right now, you don’t know what you don’t know.” 

He said if an issue is detected early, water production at any of the BPW’s five wells could be shifted to ensure clean, contaminant-free water. 

Lewes wells are tested monthly for chloride, nitrate, nitrite, sulfates and fluoride. The BPW also tests for bacteria three times a month in the winter and 10 times during the summer season. An annual Consumer Confidence Report is posted on the BPW website and the Office of Drinking Water website. The report explains all the tests and results throughout the year. 

Gordon said Lewes water is among the best in the state. 

“It’s exceptional,” he said. “Our water coming out of the aquifer is equal to bottled water. We’re very proud and very confident in it.” 

Board member A. Thomas Owen said it’s a good idea not only to further test the water, but also to get a baseline in order to determine if development above the water recharge area along Kings Highway has any effect on water quality. 

“If it’s impacted by what they’re doing, then we need to know it pretty quickly,” he said.