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New Disclosure Rules for Drinking Water in Delaware

Don Rush

DOVER, Del. (AP) - The discovery of an obscure chemical in a public well near New Castle is prompting Delaware officials to propose new disclosure requirements.

The change would require utilities to tell customers about the detection of unregulated but potentially toxic drinking water contaminants.

Office of Drinking Water Program Administrator Edward Hallock tells The News Journal of Wilmington  that Delaware will require "confidence reports" that tell customers whether chemicals on an annual Environmental Protection Agency list have been detected in water and the concentrations of the substances. Currently, utilities only have to report chemicals for which federal maximums exist, or a smaller set of unregulated contaminants and disinfection byproducts.

The agency will publish details on the proposal and seek public comment on July 1. Regulations would take effect statewide

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.