FRANKFORD, Del.- Artesian Water Company, a subsidiary of Artesian Resources Corporation on Monday announced its acquisition of the water system of the Town of Frankford in Sussex County, Del., on .

Artesian, which has been providing water service in Delaware for 115 years, said it will now provide Frankford with improved water quality, access to a 24/7 emergency dispatch center, customer service with transparent bi-monthly bills and local staff ready to respond quickly.

Artesian said it has invested approximately $44 million over the past three years in water and wastewater infrastructure in Sussex County and will continue to make future investments. This acquisition is a culmination of Artesian’s strategic efforts to focus on Sussex County’s growth and highlights the success of Artesian’s public-private partnerships throughout the state of Delaware, the company said.

Artesian said its focus on growth in Sussex County has centered on creating a larger regional water system, interconnecting existing systems to new service territories for additional reliability.

The Town of Frankford is located near Artesian’s Greater Dagsboro Water Treatment Plant, currently under construction in Dagsboro, which will provide an additional supply of 2.0 million gallons per day to the region. Over seven miles of new water main and 45 fire hydrants will be constructed in this regional system, interconnecting the Town of South Bethany to Frankford and Dagsboro, covering 20 square miles of service territory and serving nearly 6,000 customers.

“Artesian’s investments in Sussex County and securing this latest acquisition has positioned us to continue to expand our service territory, interconnecting this larger regional area with high quality and reliable water service,” said Dian C. Taylor, president and CEO. The completion of this acquisition is Artesian’s fifth over the past three years, including the water systems of the Slaughter Beach Water Company, High Point, Cantwell, Odessa and Historic Fort DuPont.

Artesian’s Southern Office is located in Milton.