DOVER – DNREC has been awarded a $345,000 US Environmental Protection Agency Wetland Program Development Grant that will go to the Division of Watershed Stewardship Watershed Assessment and Management Section’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program to fund enhanced wetland conservation in Delaware through science, statewide mapping, and education and outreach.

EPA announced the grant today in Philadelphia in a statement from Region III Administrator Shawn M. Garvin: “Wetlands play a significant role in protecting our nation’s water supply. By taking action to protect and restore these valuable resources, DNREC is protecting sources of our drinking water, preventing flooding, and making us more resilient to climate change.”

DNREC Secretary David Small said the grant would benefit Delaware in confronting challenges to conserve, sustain, and restore the state’s wetlands, which cover as much as one-fourth of its topography even after 200 years of wetlands losses that have continued into the 21st century. “Delaware’s wetlands are among our most important ecological resources but continue to face threats – pollution, sea level rise and changing climates and landscapes,” Sec. Small said. “We value our partnership with EPA that will support our efforts to protect and restore wetlands and ensure their valuable services.”

The grant will focus on intensifying conservation and outreach efforts made to wetland landowners, especially in the case of Delaware’s ecologically unique wetlands – and the importance of conserving these vital resources through voluntary landowner incentives along with new and imaginative outreach efforts aimed at public awareness of how precious and essential wetland resources are to a safe, healthy and robust environment and economy, and especially so for Delaware’s water supply.

Grant funds are to be used for a new statewide wetland mapping effort and for an updated wetland status and changes report covering the past 10 years, which will improve DNREC’s ability to provide more accurate data for environmental decision-making. (The most recent mapping effort – completed in 2007 – documented 320,000 acres of wetlands in Delaware.)

Grant funding also will augment DNREC’s efforts to monitor and assess wetland conditions in the northern Chesapeake Bay Watershed while reporting on wetland conditions in the Appoquinimink River watershed in New Castle County, along with continuous monitoring of ecological success from past wetland restoration projects.

Funding from the EPA grant will also augment costs of the Division of Watershed Stewardship’s hosting the 2018 Delaware Wetland Conference, which brings together scientists, landowners, businesses and academia in the Mid-Atlantic Region for a gathering under DNREC’s aegis that has grown significantly since it was first held in 2001. More outreach will come from a Wetland Celebration event in Delaware to be held during American Wetlands Month each May.

EPA awards the Wetlands Program Development Grants in conjunction with the federal Clean Water Act, which itself recognizes the dangers of upstream pollution sources. EPA notes that as water flows downstream, it can carry pollutants with it, and that wetlands are instrumental in eliminating or treating pollution, and can have a huge impact on receiving waters located downstream. For more information: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/wetlands/grantguidelines/index.cfm

Vol. 46, No. 421

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DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 15 on several wastewater projects proposed by the City of Rehoboth Beach, including the city’s ocean outfall. The hearing will begin at 6 p.m. at the Rehoboth Elementary School, 500 Stockley Street, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.

Rehoboth’s proposed wastewater projects include a pump station, a force main and an ocean outfall. The new pump station and a 24-inch force main are required to convey the treated wastewater to the ocean outfall and through diffusers located 6,000 feet offshore in water approximately 40 feet deep.

These proposed projects require several DNREC permits and approvals, including a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, a Coastal Zone Management Act Federal Consistency Determination, a Subaqueous Lands Lease, Water Quality Certification, a Wastewater Facilities Construction Permit, and a Beach Preservation Coastal Construction Permit. Rehoboth’s permit applications and supporting documents, and a fact sheet and a draft NPDES permit are available on DNREC’s website.

The public hearing will receive comments from public speakers, with priority given to those who have preregistered followed by other speakers who choose to sign up at the public hearing. To preregister to speak at the hearing, please contact DNREC by e-mail or first class mail no later than Nov. 11 by Rehoboth_Wastewater_Comments@delaware.gov or via US Postal Service to:

John Schneider, DNREC
State Street Commons
100 W. Water Street – Suite 10B
Dover, DE 19904

As DNREC anticipates a large number of speakers, the Department accordingly will impose a five-minute time limit on each speaker. If you are unable or choose not to attend the public hearing, you may submit written comments in advance that will become part of the record. Written comments should be sent to the above contact addresses, preferably by email to Rehoboth_Wastewater_Comments@delaware.gov. The public comment period for written comments on the proposed City of Rehoboth wastewater projects began Oct. 15 and will end at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 2, 2016. If comments are submitted by USPS, they must be postmarked no later than Dec.2, 2016.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902, or John Schneider, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship, 302-739-9939

Vol. 46, No. 368

DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that DNREC will hold a public workshop Wednesday, Oct. 19 to provide information about several wastewater projects currently proposed by the City of Rehoboth Beach. The workshop will begin at 6 p.m. inside Rehoboth Volunteer Fire Company Station 86, 219 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.

Rehoboth’s proposed wastewater projects include a pump station, a force main and an ocean outfall. The new pump station and a 24-inch force main are required to convey the treated wastewater to the ocean outfall and through diffusers located 6,000 feet offshore in water approximately 40 feet deep.

These proposed projects require several DNREC permits and approvals including a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, a Coastal Zone Management Act Federal Consistency Determination, a Subaqueous Lands Lease, Water Quality Certification, a Wastewater Facilities Construction Permit, and a Beach Preservation Coastal Construction Permit. An overview of the various projects will be provided by the City of Rehoboth Beach’s consultants on the projects, while DNREC staff will be on hand to offer information about the Department’s permitting and approval processes.

The workshop will give the public an opportunity to learn more about the City of Rehoboth Beach’s proposed wastewater projects and to ask questions about the projects and the necessary DNREC permits and approvals that must be in place before the projects can begin. Rehoboth’s permit applications and supporting documents, and a fact sheet and a draft NPDES permit are available on DNREC’s website.

For more information about the workshop, please call John Schneider at 302-739-9939 or email John.Schneider@delaware.gov.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 342

Proposals due by Nov. 16

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship, the office of Environmental Finance, and the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Division of Public Health are now accepting proposals from state, county and municipal governments and governmental subdivisions for matching grants for wastewater, surface water, and drinking water project planning. Proposals must be received by 4:30 p.m. Nov. 16, 2016.

Eligible projects include planning, preliminary engineering and feasibility analysis of: wastewater and drinking water projects; stormwater retrofits; green technology practices; stream and wetland restoration projects; small watershed studies; master surface water and drainage plans; and other source water pollution control projects.

Grant applications of up to $50,000 will be considered with a 1:1 cash match requirement. Up to 10 percent of the grant funds may be used for administrative costs. There is an annual cumulative grant award cap of $100,000 per successful applicant per fiscal year.

The Wastewater, Drinking Water, and Surface Water Matching Planning Grant programs are set-asides in Delaware’s Clean Water and Drinking Water Revolving Funds. Projects will be recommended for funding by the Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council through a competitive grant process.

For a Wastewater Matching Planning Grant, the project guidelines and the application can be found online by clicking Wastewater Matching Planning Grant. Proposals must be submitted by email (less than 10 MB) to Greg.Pope@delaware.gov.

For a Surface Water Matching Planning Grant, the project guidelines and the application can be found online at Surface Water Matching Planning Grant. Proposals must be submitted by email (less than 10 MB) to James.Sullivan@delaware.gov.

For a Drinking Water Matching Planning Grant, the project guidelines and the application can be found online at Drinking Water Matching Planning Grant. Proposals must be submitted by email (less than 10 MB) to Heather.Warren@delaware.gov.

For more information, contact Greg Pope, DNREC Environmental Finance at 302-739-9941, Jim Sullivan, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship at 302-739-9922, or Heather Warren, Division of Public Health at 302-744-4739.

Media Contact: Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 349

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship’s Shoreline & Waterway Management Section will make a public informational presentation on Delaware’s revised beach regulations Oct. 21 in Bethany Beach. The presentation will take place from 1 – 3 p.m. at the South Coastal Library, 43 Kent Avenue, Bethany Beach, DE, 19930.

The Shoreline & Waterway Management Section will outline recent revisions made to the Regulations Governing Beach Protection and the Use of Beaches (which went into effect Aug. 11). Topics to be presented include:

• A history of coastal storms and erosion that have impacted Delaware, and the importance of beaches and dune systems for their protective and recreational benefits
• A brief history of the Beach Preservation Act and the state’s beach regulations
• Building line maps
• 2016 Revisions to the Regulations Governing Beach Protection and the Use of Beaches, including: The Regulated Area, Substantial Damage, Substantially Improved, The Four-Step Process, Cantilevered Decks, and Temporary Structures
• New application forms for Letters of Approval and Permits

The presentation will provide the public, local construction industry professionals, and local and county officials with information about revisions made to the regulations.

Registration is required for this event as seating is limited. Attendees may register online at http://www.eventbrite.com/o/shoreline-and-waterway-management-11381581248 or call Coleen Ponden of the Shoreline & Waterway Management Section at 302-739-9921.

If registration fills, a second presentation may be scheduled at a future date.

CONTACT: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 349

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