spring 2003 water news delaware water resources

8/9/2019 Spring 2003 Water News Delaware Water Resources

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S P R I N G 2 0 0 3 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 1

In this Issue, on the web at:http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc/news.html:

Fall Water Forum October 2nd at UD 1

Delaware Sierra Club: Perspective on Water Issues 1

2000 2003 DWRC Fellow Lynette Ward Studies

Environmental Policies for Poultry Industry

4

DWRC Annual Meeting & Intern Poster Session 4

New 2003 2004 DWRC Undergraduate Interns 5

Water News You Can Use 6

DWRC History, Goals, and Advisory Panel 8

Water News and DWRC Contact Information 8

In this issue of Water News, the Delaware WaterResources Center (DWRC)presents the perspectiveof the Sierra Club, a state environmental advocacygroup, on a variety of key water resource issues

facing Delaware today. Three members share theirviews of their role and that of Delaware citizens inimproving water resource management.

Look for news of water-wise civic activism by othergroups such as the Center for Inland Bays, LongwoodGraduate Program, and Delaware Nature Society, inour Water News You Can Use on page 6.

Thank you Dorothy Miller

Dorothy Miller, representing the Coalition for

Natural Stream Valleys on the DWRCAdvisoryPanel, has stepped down to pursue her many

interests in citizen advocacy for theenvironment. Her energy and passionaterespect for natural resource conservation was

greatly appreciated and will be missed.

Environmental Reports Available by Zip Code!Watershed pollution facts, weather, and more. Visit

http://zoomer.sierraclub.org/

Fall Statewide Water Forum Oct. 2

"Land Use Change andWater Quality: Assessingthe Impacts and Planningfor the Future" is the themefor a statewide forum to be

held Oct. 2nd, 2003 at theClayton Hall on the Universityof Delaware campus. The event will be co-sponsoredby the Delaware Water Resources Center, Universityof Delaware Institute for Public Administration WaterResources Agency, Delaware Geological Society, theCenter for the Inland Bays, Delaware Department ofNatural Resources and Environmental Control, andInstitute of Soil and Environmental Quality. Watch

for details at http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc/calendar.html.

Spotlight on Citizen AdvocacyDelaware Sierra Clubs Responses to

Water Conservation and Quality IssuesContributed by Debbie Heaton, Conservation [email protected],Matt Urban, Chapter

Chair, [email protected], and Carl Solberg,Litigation Chair and member, DWRCAdvisory Panel.

Photos by Gary Heaton and Chris GiacconeFor more information contactDelaware Sierra Club,100 W.10th Street, Suite 1107, Wilmington DE 19801302-425-4911 http://delaware.sierraclub.org/

Since the mid-1990s, the Delaware chapter of theSierra Club has focused on state water issues from

marine environments on up to the headwaters.Weve learned that Delaware needs to start treatingwater as a valued resource one that is lookingmore limited as time goes by. Population growth,economic prosperity, and conversions of vast tractsof farmland into neighborhoods have put more carson the road and more roads on the map, coveringmore of the land with impervious cover. Census data(2000) show that 783,600 people now live here, a75% increase from 1960 census numbers of 446,292.

Another 77,400 are expected by 2025! (continued page 2)


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D E L A W A R E W A T E R R E S O U R C E S C E N T E R 2

(Delaware Sierra Club on Water Conservationand Quality, continued from page 1)

Surrounding counties in Pa. and Md. have similarly grown, and to varying degrees we are dependent on the samewater resources. Sierra Club feels the state needs to re-evaluate its water position -- review the current datastatewide and work to fill in the holes. Current investigations are focusing on the Potomac and Columbia aquifers insouthern New Castle County, but work is also needed to update the data for Kent and Sussex County aquifers. Weneed to look at the results, and understand and act on the interrelationships that exist between land use, thebusiness decisions we make, and their effect on water supplies and quality.

Proposed projects investigated and commented on by the Sierra Club have involveddredging, beach armoring and replenishment, farmer-landowner cooperative networkssuch as the statewide drainage-correcting tax program, the setting of Total Maximum DailyLoads (TMDLs) governing stream nutrient loadings, coastal zone regulations, NationalPollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, and industrial pollution. Whileworking on these issues, members have also become concerned about biodiversity andendangered species as related to water quality and quantity. We know that land use andair quality must also be addressed, since what goes on the land or goes up in the aireventually finds its way into Delawares waterways.

Based on our research into water issues, the Sierra Club offers recommended courses ofaction related to water supply and quality. Water is understood to be a stateresponsibility, so these should fall under state purview.

Conservation DirectorWater supply: Debbie Heaton

1. Follow and enforce usage rules already on the books. Encourage conservation wherever possible.2. Bring all of the state offices charged with a portion of water management together as one entity under theDepartment of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).3. Work with the regional water authority (the Delaware River Basin Commission, DRBC) to seek solutions on howto equitably share the regions surface water.4. Separate drinking water from non-potable, ground gray water targeted for purposes such as outdoor watering.5. Determine sources and levels of sustainable volumes from ground water or other means.

6. Locate all remaining Delaware water recharge areas and assemble a statewide comprehensive program toprotect these areas. Ground water is slower to respond to demands, but the supply in this water savings accountis compromised by current pumping rates and runoff. Studies have indicated that watersheds with more then 15%impervious surface coverage and resulting runoff start to see both water quantity and quality problems.7. Identify and inventory capacity of the many permitted types of wells both on a daily and seasonal basis.Maintain this data electronically to consult when conservation actions are needed.8. Implement conservation-based pricing by water utilities, giving credits to those who conserve.

Water quality:

1. Follow and enforce existing water quality rules to preserve public health and wildlife habitat.2. Work to change the narrative state water quality standards to numeric standards.3. Establish the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) specifications for all Delaware water bodies required by a legalsettlement six years ago. This work is still not complete.

4. Challenge government to ensure new businesses wont put a burden on our water resources.5. Support further studies at local universities to better understand how our aquifers work.6. Identify, map, and isolate aquifers degraded beyond use for drinking water. The state has already taken at leastthree aquifers off the useful list one below Delaware City, another located below the Delaware Solid WasteAuthority (DSWA) landfill along the Delaware River, and one that runs under the City of Dover.7. Protect water recharge areas by limiting impervious surface coverage over water recharge areas withappropriate zoning changes.8. Map and identify movement of saltwater and other non point source pollution that threatens our coastal andinland communities. Investigate what can be done to stop or slow this intrusion.9. Identify all of the point (localized) pollution sources along waterways utilized for drinking water and find ways tostop their output or greatly improve their treatment capabilities. This includes the combined sewer overflowproblem in Wilmington. (continued. page 3)


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(Delaware Sierra Club on Water Conservation andQuality, continued from page 2)

Sierra Club believes we need to plan the long-termhealth of Delawares business and residentialcommunities around these recommendations. The

time has come for the hard decisions to be made.What is really important to us? If we can answerthat question, the other details should fall into place.

Making a difference as private citizensWe encourage one another and Delawares citizensto identify a water issue with personal meaning andpursue it. Here are examples of how Sierra Clubmembers are working on actions described above.

Get Involved in Water Resource Issues. Ourlitigation chair, Carl Solberg, is interested in nonpoint pollution reduction. He serves on the stateNutrient Management Commission and as a private

citizen in Delawares Conservation ReserveEnhancement Program (CREP), a joint Federal USDAFarm Bill-State land retirement conservationprogram. The program permits enrollment of up to6,000 acres of environmentally sensitive agriculturalland to a conserving use. By enrolling his own landand installing conservation practices such as treeplantings as buffers against runoff, Solberg isimproving the water quality of streams andincreasing wildlife habitat.

Pay attention to policyeffects in your back yard.

During the drought of August2002, the Delaware RiverBasin Commission orderedthe damming of freshwaterflow down the wild andscenic White Clay Creekwhich could impact thehabitat of threatened speciessuch as the bald eagle andbog turtle. Club memberswrote to the DRBCciting itsfailure to consult with federal

wildlife agencies as required by the EndangeredSpecies Act before taking actions affecting listedspecies and critical habitat.

Be aware of public hearings, workshops,expert testimony. When preparing for a hearing,we research the permit application and consider thematerials available. Members and friends of SierraClubs Southern Delaware Group (SDG), for example,are continually raising concerns about newdevelopment projects in designated environmentallysensitive areas such as the Inland Bays that supportfish, wildlife and outdoor recreation. Participating inupdating Sussex Countys land use plan offers an

opportunity to re-direct growth in the county toexisting towns rather than in new developmentsoutside of towns which create sprawl. Engagingexpert research and testimony on environmental andeconomic impacts helps allow more informed decisionmaking when considering the dredging of the Assawoman Canal, building jetties at North Shores,and protecting Gordons Pond at Cape Henlopen.

Be an informed voter. A club member generateda helpful environmental voting report card in 2000for candidates for state assembly and a 2002questionnaire for the candidates for U. S. Senate.Our 2000 report The Costs of Sprawl in Delawarehelped make sprawl an issue during the gubernatorialrace that year.

Call or write your state and US governmentalrepresentatives with your concerns. Phone calls

to Gov. Minner and members of the GeneralAssembly sharing concerns about the need for Motivaand other polluters to address hazards to publichealth and to install the best, most protectivepollution control equipment, have made an effectiveimpression within our governmental system. Askthat the current laws be enforced. Citizens phonecalls have lasting positive effect, as seen in Sen.Carpers, Senator Bidens, and Rep. Castlesbudgeting acquisition for buffer lands adjacent to thePrime Hook Wildlife Refuge.

Explore and learn. Recent trips with a focus onwater quality and supply included a bus trip with theSociety of Natural History to the Purdue Pelletizingplant in Sussex County, which provides a profitablefertilizer-generation alternative for poultry litterdisposal, and hikes in wild and scenic White ClayCreek State Park, scene of last summers drought-induced controlled flow. We also have resumedholding periodic membership informational meetingsagain, after discontinuing these for several years.

We are grassroots activism at its finest, a smallchapter in a state with big water problems. Add yourvoice to those effecting positive change.

Delaware Sierra Clubs 2,000 members are amongapproximately 786,200 Club members nationwide. Inaddition to operating committees, the state chapterhas several conservation sub-committees that focuson water, land use, and anti-pollution. The DelawareChapters newsletter, published five times a year andfound on the web at http://delaware.sierraclub.org/,reports the Clubs activities investigating a broadrange of recent and current topics in waterresources.

Chapter ChairMatt Urban


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Lynette Ward modelingSussex County industries

Environmental Policies for aSustainable Poultry Industry

in Sussex County, DelawareLynette Ward, DWRC 2000-2003 Fellow

Advisors at the University of Delaware:Dr. William F. Ritter, Bioresources EngineeringDr. John Byrne and Dr. Young-Doo Wang,

Center for Energy and Environmental PolicyPhoto by Danielle Quigley

Delawares poultry industry plays a vital role in thestates agricultural economy. However, in recentyears, concerns have increased about the potentialimpacts of land application of poultry manuresgenerated by this industry on groundand surface water quality in southernDelaware. Economically viablealternatives to application of poultry

manures to agricultural cropland arenow being sought. DWRC graduatefellow Lynette Wards research hasfocused on the development of Environmental Policies for aSustainable Poultry Industry in SussexCounty, Delaware. Ward hasevaluated several recent ideas forways to improve the efficiency ofmanure management, in terms oftheir economic feasibility and practicaleffectiveness, such as the use of lowphytate (high available P) corn and

phytase enzymes in poultry rations,bioenergy production using manureas a renewable fuel source,composting or pelletizing manures fortransport to other areas for use as afertilizer for agronomic, vegetable,and horticultural crops, and use as acattle feed supplement.

Ward conducted her economic analysis usingIMPLAN, a PC-based software system designed tocreate regional models. IMPLAN assisted in Wardseconomic analysis of the alternative uses for poultry

litter, and in her ability to measure the economic andsocial impacts of any changes needed to ensure asustainable poultry industry in Sussex County interms of factors such as revenue, tax issues,environmental regulatory compliance costs, impacton tourism revenues, and jobs created.

In the first phase of my research, my advisors Dr.William Ritter, Dr. John Byrne and Dr. Young-DooWang suggested approaches for analyzing thetechnical feasibility of the alternative strategies. Isearched the literature and internet, finding the work

of industry experts there or at technical conferences.For example, power companies and engineering firmswhich had already implemented existing biogasfacilities provided useful data on which to base amodel for Sussex County, Ward explains. In thesecond phase, I added new findings about eachoption to the base information in IMPLAN. Now itwas possible to extrapolate figures from existing useof these strategies to match Sussex Countys manureproduction characteristics over a given time periodand predict production costs and revenues. Some ofthe more promising options included composting,pelletizing, and improving nutrient use efficiency bymodifying animal diets to reduce phosphorusexcretion.

Ward, who on May 6th successfullydefended her PhD thesis based onthis research, says of her DWRC

fellowship experience, Workingdirectly with Dr. Ritter, who hasbeen a knowledgeable andpersonable mentor, was theeducational highlight of my four-year PhD experience. I am deeplyindebted to the DWRC for fundingmy research through thisfellowship. Ward has received acontract to work in Pennsylvaniafor the Environmental DefenseFund as a livestock manureconsultant studying agricultural

nutrient management forwatershed planning.

For more information on this

project, contact Lynette Ward [email protected], or her advisors byemail at [email protected],

[email protected],or [email protected].

2003 DWRC Annual Meeting andUndergraduate Interns Poster Session

The 17-member DWRCAdvisory Panel convened forlunch and their annual meeting on the UD campus

April 25th. DWRCDirector Tom Sims described theCenters plans for 2003 research and public educationthrough WATER NEWS and our web presence. Thepanel discussed ways to enlist community support forresearch and training of new water scientists.

Following the lunch meeting, the DWRCs six 2002undergraduate interns presented posters of theirproject findings with their advisors at an informalsession sponsored by the University of DelawaresUndergraduate Research Program to a crowd ofnearly 500 visitors.


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D E L A W A R E W A T E R R E S O U R C E S C E N T E R

2003 Interns Announced (continued from p. 5)

The DWRC/DGS co-sponsored internship project

titled Nanticoke Watershed Total Maximum DailyLoad (TMDL) Project has been awarded to juniorGeology major and DGS intern Mark Neimeister.The project advisor is Mr. Scott Andres of theDelaware Geological Survey. Mark will be collectingand statistically evaluating water samples with thegoal of developing improved methods for computingwatershed pollutant loads.

Kathleen Cormier will conduct FieldMeasurements of Non Point Source PollutantRemoval Efficiencies of Stormwater BMPs at the UDExperimental Watershedfor her DWRC/DE DNRECco-sponsored internship under the advisement of Mr.Martin Wollaston of the UD Water Resources Agency. A junior Natural Resource Management major withminors in Biology and Resource Economics, Kathleenproposes to monitor the quality of stormwater inflowto and outflow from several stormwater ponds andwetlands installed on the University of Delawarecampus. She then hopes to estimate the pollutantremoval efficiency of these stormwater BestManagement Practices.

Water News You Can Use

The Center for the Inland Bays(CIB),Dr. Bruce

Richards, Executive Director, is a private, nonprofitorganization. Its newsletterInland Bays Journalprovides open and informative dialogue on issuesrelated to Delawares Inland Bays and is distributedthroughout "The First State" with more than 70,000copies published each quarter as an insert to theNews Journal. The Spring issue, available online athttp://www.inlandbays.org/newsletter.html or bycalling the CIB at 302-645-7325, features State ofthe Bays reports, Sussex Conservation District andJames Farm updates, invasive species news, BirdingDay highlights, a CIB Science Coordinator positionposting, and an announcement of the third annual

Governors Wade-In June 14.

The Responsible Water Use in the Gardensymposium co-hosted by the Longwood GraduateProgram and Winterthurs Garden Division Mar. 29thfeatured experts in water policy, landscapearchitecture, ornamentals, xeriscapes, irrigation, andsustainable designs. Introductory speaker GeraldKauffman, Delaware State Water Coordinator, toldlisteners that water-wise gardening ranges fromselecting plants and proper garden design to

choosing easy maintenance techniques forconserving water. Outdoor water use is the singlelargest component of our domestic water budget,thus the potential water savings are high. Amongwater-wise tips presented throughout the day:

Cultivate Delaware native and drought-tolerantplants, not thirsty Kentucky Bluegrass.Save hundreds of gallons by watering lawns in the

morning; better yet, let summer lawns go dormant.Use your dehumidifier water on houseplants or

porch container plants.Install rainbarrels to conserve water (a source on

the internet is www.rainbarrelsandmore.com).Make your own ideal compost and mulch from dried

leaves shredded by a leaf blower on the vacuumsetting. Soils amended with this organic matter willabsorb more water and drain better. Studies showdried grass clippings and shredded fall leaves aresuperior mulches to prevent weed growth andretain soil moisture, even better than black plastic.Straw (not weedy hay) and even carefully arrangedstones are also good at moisture retention.

No pruning /fertilizing plants under drought stress.Do not mound mulch around tree trunks.Plant parking lot islands and streetside strips with

drought tolerant groundcovers such as junipers; nomaintenance, mowing, or watering is needed, andadjacent pavement lasts longer without excesswater working in the cracks.

Target your watering with slow-release systems.Plant and establish (water) trees and shrubs

properly for drought survival.

The DWRC surveyed Delaware residents attendingthe symposium for their favored actions duringdroughts to lower water demand. Establishingdrought emergency water rates was among thethree actions tied for first place as most favored.The other popular options were establishingmandatory reductions for all customers and rationingoutdoor water use by odd/even addresses. The leastfavored option was the use of 2002s policy ofrestricting all lawn watering and car washing.Delaware resident comments included:

Establish conservation-friendly rates, increasing

with increasing water use, on a permanent basis...Grey water issues for water saving must beaddressed and put into use...Educate the publicthat our climate is not like Great Britains! Americanlawns are not the best use of our water resources....Enhance public education to empower propertyowners, managers and contractors to use waterwisely for new plantings and minimally forestablished turf... [avoid] unjust & unjustifiableeconomic damage to green industry businesses &institutions.


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D E L A W A R E W A T E R R E S O U R C E S C E N T E R

Christina Watershed Reports are nowavailable: Monthly data collected by volunteers inthe Delaware Nature Societys TechnicalMonitoring program during 1995-2000 have nowbeen summarized and are available to the generalpublic. Separate reports have been prepared foreach of the watersheds that make up the ChristinaBasin: the Brandywine Creek, Red Clay Creek, WhiteClay Creek, and Christina River. The findings areconsistent with DNRECs, indicating that low levelsof dissolved oxygen resulting from excess nutrientsimposed by increased development, additionalimpervious surface, and the daily activities ofresidents/citizens are of greatest concern for thewatershed. To learn more about how you canreduce nonpoint source pollution through theBackyard Habitat program, please visit the DNSwebpage at http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/.These reports are available by contacting Ginger

North at 302-239-2334 ext. 100 [email protected].

Delaware HB 118 Water Pricing Legislation Outof Committee May 15, 2003: Legislationintroduced by Representatives Smith and Valihura onMay 8, 2003 would amend the Water Supply Self-Sufficiency Act of 2003 to ensure a continued,adequate water supply in northern New CastleCounty by requiring investor-owned and largermunicipal water utilities to adopt conservation waterrates, proven throughout the country to reduce wateruse. It would also require these utilities to certify

every three years that they will be able to meet theprojected demand for their service area during thefollowing three-year period. Further, it would requireutilities to establish equitable bulk wholesale rates forinter-utility water purchases and to provide water, ifthey have excess capacity, to a drought-sensitivearea if necessary. By 2010, these utilities wouldneed to show they have adequate sources of supplywithin the State of Delaware to weather an acutedrought such as that which occurred in 2002.Besides securing an adequate water supply, it is theintent of this legislation to avert the severe water-userestrictions that were imposed in 2002 because ofthe drought emergency. In conjunction with thislegislation, a Drinking Water Well Replacement andRehabilitation Loan/Grant Program would beestablished to provide low-interest loansand/or hardship grants throughout the State toindividuals with older, leaking plumbing systems thatcause water loss, or failed domestic wells. Co-sponsors of the legislation include: Senators Henryand Cloutier; Representatives DiPinto, B. Ennis,Gilligan, Hudson, Keeley, Lavelle, Mulrooney, VanSant, and Viola; and Senators Amick, Blevins,Copeland, DeLuca, and Sorenson.

Good News and Map Help from USGS:A May 7thpress release (see http://md.water.usgs.gov)reported normal levels for groundwater andstreamflows across Maryland and Delaware by USGShydrologists in Baltimore for the month of April.During the same period last year, well levels were atrecord lows below normal. The site also links toDelaware DataMIL, part of the USGS National Mapprogram, which allows citizens to create maps anddownload GIS data for any location in Delaware.

Storm Drain LabelingProjects: DelawaresDept. of Transportation(DelDOT, 1-800-652-5600) and the City ofNewark have begunimplementing regulations under the Clean WaterActs National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

(NPDES) program in an effort to minimize theintroduction of pollutants from storm drains intoDelawares waterways. Two drain labeling projectsremind citizens to avoid dumping in storm drains.DelDOTs program, administered under its TrustFund with hired crews applying labels as drains areinventoried during 2003-2005, is already active inNew Castle County and awaits permits to conductsimilar projects in urbanized areas in Kent / Sussexsuch as Dover, Camden-Wyoming and Delmar

starting in early June.Newarks program is co-funded by DNREC and the

USEPA in support of theDelaware Estuary Program.Volunteer groups there may call Kelley Dinsmore at302-366-7040 to be assigned to mark some of thecitys 2,200 drains. The programs offer this advice forclean waterways:

Service your car to repair leaks. Recycle antifreezeand motor oil. Only rain should go down the drain!

Fertilize lawns lightly, never just before a rainstorm.Drop off household hazardous waste at collection

sites (posted at www.dswa.com)Wash your car on the lawn, keeping soapy water

out of the storm drain.Dispose of litter, recyclables,

yard and pet waste properly.Notify DelDOT if you see

storm drains needingmaintenance: 302-323-1111.The City of Newark asks thatyou clean off clogged drains orcall their Public WorksDepartment at 302-366-7040.

Call DNREC if you see illegal Newark BoyScoutdumping: 1-800-662-8802. labels a storm drain


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The Delaware Water

Resources Center

The Delaware Water Resources

Center (DWRC), established in 1965, is

part of a network of 54 Water Resources

Research institutes throughout thenation. The DWRC receives funding

through Section 104 of the Water

Resources Research Act of 1984. The

U.S. Geological Survey administers the

provisions of the Act and provides

oversight of the nation's Water

Resources Centers. The primary goals

of the DWRC are: to support research

that will provide solutions to Delaware's

priority water problems, to promote the

training and education of future water

scientists, engineers, and policymakers,

and to disseminate research results to

water managers and the public. For

further information, visit our website:

http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc/

Delaware WaterResources CenterAdvisory Panel

Scott AndresDelaware Geological Survey

Steven K. DentelUD Dept. of Civil &

Environmental Engineering

Judith DenverU.S. Geological Survey

Kevin DonnellyDNREC Division of WaterResources

Bernard DworskyDelaware Water Resources Agency

Mark IsaacsUD Research and Education Center

Ed JonesDSU Dept. of Agriculture &

Natural Resources

Ken LomaxUD Dept. of Bioresources Engineering

Delaware WaterResources CenterAdvisory Panel

Jenny McDermottDNREC Div. of Soil & Water Conservation

Dorothy Miller

Coalition for Natural Stream Valleys

Paul PetrichenkoUSDA Natural Resources &

Conservation Service

Kent PriceUD College of Marine Studies

Bruce RichardsCenter for the Inland Bays

Bill SaylorUD Dept. of Animal and Food Sciences

Carl SolbergSierra Club

Lori SpagnoloDelaware Nature Society

William VanderwendeDel. Nutrient Management Commission

WATER NEWSis published biannually by the University of Delaware Water Resources Center, Dr. J. Thomas Sims, Director. Amy Boyd,Editor, welcomes materials for publication, including news articles and letters to the editor. To submit material or request future issues,please address your correspondence to the address below or contact the editor by email at [email protected] phone (302) 831-1392.

Delaware Water Resources CenterDepartment of Plant and Soil SciencesCollege of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesUniversity of Delaware152 Townsend HallNewark, DE 19717-1303

http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc/

Address Service Requested

spring 2003 water news delaware water resources

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