Kent County, Delaware: drinking water report. Kent County in central Delaware has about 181,000 residents, with Dover as both the county and state capital.
Kent County in central Delaware has about 181,000 residents, with Dover as both the county and state capital. Nearly all water comes from groundwater – the Columbia Aquifer and deeper confined aquifers beneath the flat Delmarva Peninsula. Dover Air Force Base, one of the largest Air Force installations on the East Coast, occupies a substantial area southeast of the city. Agriculture – primarily poultry, corn, and soybeans – surrounds the urban areas.
Dover AFB has confirmed extensive PFAS contamination. According to the Air Force's 2024 environmental investigation, groundwater monitoring wells on and around the base show PFOS at concentrations above 100 ppt in multiple locations. The AFFF used during decades of fire training has contaminated the shallow Columbia Aquifer, which also feeds some private wells in the surrounding area.
The Delmarva Peninsula's poultry industry – Kent County alone has hundreds of poultry houses – generates enormous quantities of manure applied to cropland. A 2024 Delaware DNREC groundwater study found nitrate above 5 mg/L in 22% of sampled wells in the agricultural areas of the county, with 9% exceeding the MCL.
Kent County well owners near Dover AFB face documented PFAS exposure risk. The Air Force has been sampling residential wells within specific radii of the base, but not all properties have been tested. If you are within two miles of the base and on a private well, request testing through the base's environmental office.
Check your water for available data. For the combination of PFAS and agricultural nitrate, reverse osmosis handles both contaminant types. Our water filter guide covers systems appropriate for Delmarva groundwater. Get your detailed report for local data, and visit our Delaware page for statewide context.