Red Clay Creek/DNREC photo

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Department Secretary Highlights Need for Public Awareness

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control released findings today from DNREC’s comprehensive study on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in surface waters across Delaware. The study, conducted in the fall of 2022, involved the collection and analysis of 83 surface water samples from 33 watersheds throughout the state. The study summarizes and presents analytical results used to evaluate existing concentrations of PFAS and prioritize future actions to address areas of the state most impacted by what have become known as “forever chemicals.”

PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals found in various industrial and consumer products, are persistent in the environment and human body. DNREC’s research aims to inform and direct resources towards identifying, controlling and remediating the sources of these contaminants. Tracking and eliminating these chemicals’ sources to the environment will have a positive impact on water quality and in maintaining healthy communities in Delaware.

“Understanding the extent of PFAS contamination in Delaware’s surface waters is a critical step toward mitigating the risks associated with these persistent chemicals,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “This newest study also underscores the need for public knowledge about the vast and complex issue of PFAS contamination. By providing research and information, DNREC empowers Delaware residents to make informed decisions to protect their health and the health of their families.”

The study was conducted by the DNREC Watershed Approach to Toxics Assessment and Restoration (WATAR) team, comprising experts from several DNREC divisions, including Watershed Stewardship, Waste and Hazardous Substances, and Water. The data summary presented by DNREC WATAR team includes graphical representations that highlight variations in PFAS concentrations and family group distributions. It reveals the presence of PFAS at varying concentrations in every sample collected. This baseline information will help state scientists track surface water PFAS concentration trends in the future.

“Once the data were plotted and viewed together, several obvious anomalies stood out, either due to the magnitude of the concentrations, or to the family group fingerprints,” said John Cargill, hydrologist for the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship.
The data summary report identifies the following water bodies/watersheds as deserving of prioritized follow-up actions:

• Red Clay Creek (New Castle County)
• Hershey Run (New Castle County)
• Long Branch (New Castle County)
• Shellpot Creek (New Castle County)
• Little River (Kent County)
• St. Jones River (Kent County)

“DNREC is already taking actions to determine the extent of potential impacts and to identify potential sources,” said WATAR team hydrologist Todd Keyser. “Additional studies are underway in the northern part of the state and in the Little River watershed, among others.”

Follow-up actions in other watersheds will include resampling to verify the data collected during this study, and review of any data collected nearby during other DNREC studies. If elevated concentrations of PFAS are confirmed, then additional samples will be collected within the affected water bodies, general site areas, or within the broader watersheds.

Additional Delaware-specific PFAS related information, including summaries of ongoing studies and links to completed studies, can be found at de.gov/pfas. An abundance of technical information about PFAS can be found on the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) website. Additional information about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action related to PFAS can be found on EPA’s website. Additional information about DNREC’s WATAR program can be found at de.gov/watar.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Composting food scraps along with yard waste not only reduces the amount of waste going to Delaware’s landfills, the process also produces organic material that can be used to enrich garden soil. Encouraging residents to make use of this natural, low cost resource, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is promoting a community sale of compost bins online. Through strategic bulk purchasing, DNREC is able to offer compost bins, rain barrels and accessories at reduced prices, just in time for International Composting Awareness Week, May 6 to 12.

“If you have been thinking about trying composting in your garden, this is a great opportunity to purchase a composter,” said DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances Director Tim Ratsep. “In addition to sending less to our landfills, you’ll have less trash to haul to the curb and, with a little time and effort, you’ll be making your own soil to help your garden grow without a trip to a home improvement store to purchase bagged soil or use of chemical fertilizers.”

DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances has engaged BrandBuilders, a vendor contracted by the state, to administer the sale. The vendor has launched a dedicated website, delaware.compostersale.com, where Delawareans can choose from a variety of rain barrels and composter models and order their choices online now through Thursday, July 11.

Residents will be able to pick up their purchases on Saturday, July 13, times to be announced, at these three locations:

• New Castle County: 391 Lukens Drive, New Castle, DE
• Kent County: 155 Commerce Way Suite B, Dover, DE
• Sussex County: 901 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE

DNREC also offers a backyard composting guide online, with easy to follow instructions and tips for success, and more information about composting at de.gov/composting.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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Gov. Carney joined DNREC staff, city of Dover workers and volunteers from local business and organizations for an Earth Day cleanup at Mirror Lake in Dover, commemorating a precedent-setting environmental cleanup 10 years ago by DNREC that garnered national acclaim. /DNREC photo

Governor John Carney joined state and city employees ahead of Earth Day today to remove invasive plant species and dead vegetation at Mirror Lake in Dover. The event was organized by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the city of Dover 10 years after a successful environmental cleanup and habitat restoration at the site was undertaken by DNREC’s Watershed Assessment and Management Section and WATAR (Watershed Approach to Toxics Assessment and Restoration) team.

The 2013 cleanup used an innovative carbon technology to sequester (bind) carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and remove them from the ecosystem in Mirror Lake. The work helped to improve the natural beauty of the lake, increase the lake’s ecological function, and made the fish there safer for human consumption.

“The Mirror Lake restoration project was an opportunity for our community to come together to tackle important environmental and water quality concerns,” said Governor Carney. “I want to thank DNREC and the city of Dover’s continued efforts to monitor and improve the health of this beautiful lake.”

“What was accomplished at Mirror Lake, though smaller in scope, was monumental as a springboard for similar projects to be conducted by our WATAR team, and others across the nation, since 2013,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “I am proud in knowing that DNREC was an early adopter of this promising remedial technology, and that we now confidently use it in other areas of the state where appropriate to help us continue making gains with water quality and in restoring fish and wildlife habitat.”

Dover Mayor Robin R. Christiansen said, “Mirror Lake speaks to Dover’s civic pride. Over the last decade it has evolved into a beautiful event venue that includes private weddings. We are thankful for the partnership with DNREC and the state of Delaware in achieving it, while being able to maintain the beauty of Mirror Lake for the neighbors and our community.”

With Mirror Lake continuing to rebound from longtime environmental ills as it empties into the St. Jones River, the wetland now plays an important role in improving water quality in the St. Jones Watershed, which spans the southern half of Kent County and Delaware’s capital city, including nearby Legislative Hall and the Tatnall Building housing the Governor’s Office, and DNREC’s downstate campus in the circa 1863 Richardson & Robbins Building which borders Mirror Lake.

The environmental cleanup at Mirror Lake in Dover garnered national acclaim through use of a first-of-its kind activated carbon product called SediMite™. The project also was featured in an article in the scholarly Journal of Environmental Engineering, co-authored by several project participants, including two DNREC scientists. Titled “Full-Scale Application of Activated Carbon to Reduce Pollutant Bioavailability in a 5-Acre Lake,” the article noted that between 2013 and 2018 the project achieved approximately 80% reduction in PCB concentrations in sediment porewater, which is the water trapped between grains of sediment in the bottom of body of water. The study also documented an approximate 70% reduction in PCB concentrations in Mirror Lake’s resident fish.

DNREC scientists are currently working with project partners to develop a plan for a comprehensive 10-year post-remediation study of Mirror Lake carbon project, to include sediment, porewater, surface water and fish tissue sample analysis. Results from the study are planned to be released concurrently with DNREC previously planned fish tissue monitoring of the entirety of the St. Jones River system in the fall of 2024.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that a second ground fire of unknown origin at the Polly Drummond yard waste site within a week’s time has caused DNREC to shut the northern New Castle County site until further notice.

The second fire drew local fire companies to the yard waste site this morning, forcing its immediate closure for public health and safety concerns at least until DNREC can determine the cause of the fires. DNREC also is looking into how a recurrence of these blazes might be prevented on the Delaware State Parks’ land where Polly Drummond is sited in what is essentially a residential area.

In an abundance of caution, DNREC is closing the site earlier than originally planned (January 17) until the Department can determine how to best address what’s become a real and threatening problem to keeping the yard waste site open in the future – or for reopening it in the spring.

The safety issue behind the closure was magnified today because of the site’s accepting Christmas trees for recycling into organic mulch – and the possibility that a blaze could break out again and threaten residents who had come to the site to dispose of their trees after the holidays.

DNREC has operated the Polly Drummond site since 2008 when it opened seasonally – from spring to fall, and then after the holidays – for use by the public. The Polly Drummond site was one of three “demonstration” yard waste drop-off sites in northern New Castle that the General Assembly put under DNREC’s administration after yard waste was banned from Delaware landfills in 2007. Polly Drummond is the last of those sites remaining, and the only one currently in operation.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Commercial Yard Waste Sites Available Statewide for Convenient Drop-off

After the holidays, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control encourages Delawareans to keep their real Christmas trees out of the state’s landfills by recycling them at any of the many yard waste recycling sites located throughout the state. Tree mulch is great for helping conserve and enhance First State soil by sequestering carbon that both fertilizes the soil and helps it retain moisture.

Christmas tree recycling also saves valuable space in Delaware’s landfills. More than 176,000 tons of yard waste – which includes grass, leaves, brush, trees (Christmas trees prominent among them) and other lawn/landscape materials – was recycled in 2021. Prior to Delaware’s yard waste ban, many of these materials – considered reusable resources – were sent to landfills, taking up space rather than being handled through local markets for mulch and home composting.

Residents have the option to choose from among many sites in Delaware to drop off their Christmas tree. Some of these sites accept trees at no cost, while others charge for the service. Before residents drop off their tree, call the site in advance to see what restrictions are in place and whether there is a charge for accepting a tree to be recycled. Residents who pay for curbside collection service should call their waste hauler to see if they offer Christmas tree pickup. If pickup is unavailable from haulers, check the list of yard waste drop-off sites on the DNREC website at de.gov/yardwaste.

Trees may be accepted as soon as Dec. 26 and as late as Jan. 28, 2023, but. as each yard waste facility has its own schedule, calling ahead or checking the DNREC website is advised. Likewise, commercial haulers or landscapers should call a facility prior to delivering loads of Christmas trees to be mulched. Christmas trees are not accepted for recycling at Delaware State Parks and it is illegal to leave or dump them on dunes or beaches, or anywhere within a state park.

Whether dropping off a Christmas tree or having it collected, prepare the tree for recycling into mulch by stripping off all decorations and lights, removing any flocking (fake snow) and detaching tree stands.

Delawareans also are reminded that Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023 is the last day to drop off materials, including Christmas trees, at the Polly Drummond Hill Road yard waste site in northern New Castle County. The DNREC-administered site will close at sundown Sunday, Jan. 15 and will reopen for spring on Saturday, March 25. More information can be found at de.gov/yardwaste.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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