DOVER – Michael Powell, Delaware flood program manager, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship, will address flooding issues prevalent throughout the First State next month at the Delaware Resiliency Summits April 6 and 7 – with his presentation focused on how to protect your business, workplace or home against flooding and how to separate flood insurance facts from fiction.

Powell, who has been with DNREC for 25 years, is responsible for managing the state’s flood mapping, community floodplain management assistance, dam safety and beach preservation regulatory programs. He holds a Master of Marine Policy degree from the University of Delaware and is active in the Association of State Floodplain Managers. In billing his upcoming presentation, the University of Delaware’s Small Business Development Center, which sponsors the free summits, noted that “Delaware enjoys a multi-billion dollar economy largely due to its standing as a coastal state with beautiful beaches, bays and waterways. But water, more specifically too much of it, can be devastating to businesses, nonprofit organizations and homeowners.”

Powell’s presentation will focus on:

• Preparation for and recovering from floods;
• How to assess your flood risk;
• Flood insurance – separating fact from fiction;
• Disaster relief – what exactly it is; and
• Practical steps for being resilient to future flooding risks.

This year’s Resiliency Summits will take place in New Castle and Sussex counties:

• Wednesday, April 6 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington from 8 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served. To register online for the New Castle County summit go to https://clients.delawaresbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=10360008
• Thursday, April 7 at Kings Creek Country Club in Rehoboth Beach from 8 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served. For online registration for the Sussex County Summit go to https://clients.delawaresbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=30360003

The purpose of the Delaware Resiliency Summits is to prepare businesses, nonprofits, state agencies, academia and residents with business continuity and resiliency information to help them with protection against weather events such as flooding, cyber-crimes and insurance risks. Tabletop exercises will promote two-way communication and learning, and attendees will receive a free disaster protection and recovery planning workbook. For more information regarding either summit, please call Delaware’s Small Business Development Center at 302-856-1555. For more information on flooding in Delaware, please visit the DNREC website.

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

Vol. 46, No. 74

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship will host a free rain barrel building workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19 at the Blades Town Hall, 20 West 4th Street, Seaford, DE 19973. All supplies will be provided and participants after completing the workshop will leave with their free rain barrel.

The workshop will begin with an overview of rain barrels including the benefits, do’s and don’ts, assembly and maintenance. The Delaware Nature Society also will share other techniques to help improve Delaware’s waterways. Workshop participants will receive free kits to convert plastic drums into rain barrels, with plastic drums donated by Dogfish Head Brewery and Coca-Cola. Participants will choose and assemble their barrel, with assistance available from DNREC staff.

The number of participants is limited and pre-registration is required, with free tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rain-barrel-building-workshop-tickets-22499188679

For more information about the rain barrel building workshop, please contact Philip Miller at 302-290-3578 or philip.miller@delaware.gov.

The rain barrel building workshop is part of “Reclaim Our River, Nanticoke Series,” a program designed to bring more water quality-oriented events, workshops and recreational opportunities to the Nanticoke Watershed. This program provides important information on techniques to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution and other ways to improve water quality. The series also promotes public access to waterways and provides recreational opportunities as a way to connect residents to their waterways and inspire them to make improvements. For more information on the Reclaim Our River Program, click: http://delawarewatersheds.org/. For upcoming Reclaim Our River events, click 2016 Reclaim Our River Calendar of Events or Reclaim Our River Series Guide.

What is a Rain Barrel?
A rain barrel is a container that collects and stores water from roofs and downspouts for uses such as watering lawns, gardens, and house plants; cleaning off gardening tools; and washing your car. Rain barrels help lower your water bills, particularly in the summer months by collecting thousands of gallons of water a year. Rain barrels are also important for our environment because they help reduce water pollution by decreasing the amount of stormwater runoff reaching our streams and rivers. An average rainfall of one inch within a 24-hour period can produce more than 700 gallons of water that run off a typical house. This stormwater runoff picks up anything on the ground such as litter, excess fertilizer, pet waste, and motor oil, transporting it to storm drains that dump the untreated water directly into our waterways.

Media Contact: Philip Miller, 302-290-3578, or philip.miller@delaware.gov

Vol. 46, No. 69

DOVER – DNREC Secretary David Small has issued a Notice of Administrative Penalty Assessment and Secretary’s Order to Oakwood Village at Lewes LLC (Oakwood Village) for violations of Delaware’s sediment and stormwater regulations, and Regulations Governing the Control of Water Pollution. The order includes an administrative penalty of $36,900 and an additional $5,535 in cost recovery reimbursement to DNREC.

Oakwood Village is a multi-phase subdivision in Sussex County comprising almost 64 acres with 115 single family units. The subdivision is being built in phases and is in the process of completing the final phase. Unless exempted under state law and Delaware’s sediment and stormwater Regulations, any entity disturbing land greater than 5,000 square feet (one-eighth acre) must comply with its approved sediment and stormwater management plan from DNREC or its delegated agencies.

The Sussex Conservation District referred Oakwood Village to DNREC for enforcement action in July 2014. Subsequent construction site reviews at Oakwood Village found six violations between July and October of 2014. The violations cited by DNREC were: deficiencies of the stabilized construction entrance, inlet protection, vegetative stabilization, silt fence, and maintenance.

The Secretary’s Order can be found on DNREC’s website at http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Info/Pages/SecOrders_Enforcement.aspx.

Oakwood Village has 30 days to request a public hearing.

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

Vol. 46, No. 63

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship is now accepting applications from Delaware artists for participation in a rain barrel painting contest aimed at educating Delawareans on the benefits of using rain barrels to reduce rainwater runoff and improve water quality. Artists selected will be invited to paint creative designs on rain barrels that will be prominently displayed in public areas.

To enter the contest, adult artists must complete and submit an application by Friday, March 18, which includes providing a description and preliminary sketch of their design. DNREC will choose participants in the contest based on their application and design ideas. Once contest participants have been selected, they will have five weeks to finish their painting and submit final photographs and information requested.

Participating artists must be willing to give of their time and must provide materials including paint and brushes or other application tools, an interpretation of their work, and a short biography. In exchange, DNREC’s Watershed Assessment and Management Section will provide a fully-assembled 55-gallon plastic rain barrel with two coats of primer applied, plus top coat. This year’s barrels have been donated by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Coca-Cola.

Finished rain barrel designs will be posted online for public voting and also displayed at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover from June 1 through July 19. Five finalists will be chosen by online voting at www.delawarewatersheds.org. All five finalists will receive prizes. A professional judging panel will choose the grand prize winner, whose barrel will be displayed at the DNREC Building at the 2016 Delaware State Fair and presented to the Governor on Governor’s Day, Thursday, July 28. The winning barrel will then be installed at Woodburn, the Governor’s Residence in Dover.

Applications can be found at www.delawarewatersheds.org. Completed applications should be sent by close of business March 18 to:

DNREC Watershed Assessment and Management Section
C/O Sara Wozniak
2430 Old County Road
Newark, DE 19702

For more information, please contact Sara Wozniak at sara.wozniak@delaware.gov or 302-382-0335.

What is a Rain Barrel?
A rain barrel is a container that collects and stores water from roofs and downspouts for uses such as watering lawns, gardens, and house plants; cleaning off gardening tools; and washing your car. Rain barrels help lower your water bills, particularly in the summer months by collecting thousands of gallons of water a year. Rain barrels are also important for our environment because they help reduce water pollution by decreasing the amount of stormwater runoff reaching our streams and rivers. An average rainfall of one inch within a 24-hour period can produce more than 700 gallons of water that run off a typical house. This stormwater runoff picks up anything on the ground such as litter, excess fertilizer, pet waste, and motor oil, transporting it to storm drains that dump the untreated water directly into our waterways.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 56

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship is now accepting applications from children and student groups in grades K-12 to participate in a rain barrel painting contest aimed at educating young Delawareans on the benefits of using rain barrels to reduce rainwater runoff and improve water quality. Selected children or groups will be invited to paint creative designs on rain barrels for later public display.

To enter the contest, young artists must complete and submit an application by Friday, March 18, with a description and preliminary sketch of their design. DNREC will choose contest participants based on their application and design ideas.

Once contest participants are selected, they will have five weeks to finish their painting and submit final photographs and information requested about their works.

Young artists who participate in the contest must be willing to give of their time and materials including paint and brushes or other application tools, and provide a short biography. In exchange, DNREC’s Watershed Assessment and Management Section will provide a fully-assembled 55-gallon plastic rain barrel with two coats of primer applied, plus top coat. This year’s barrels have been donated by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Coca-Cola.

The finished rain barrel designs will be posted online for public voting at www.delawarewatersheds.org, and also displayed at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover from June 1 through July 19. The top five painted entries as chosen by online voters will be displayed at the 2016 Delaware State Fair in Harrington from July 21-30, where they will be voted on again by fair visitors for best painted rain barrel. The five grand prize winners will also participate in the annual DNREC awards program on Governors Day, Thursday, July 28, at the Delaware State Fair.

Applications can be found at www.delawarewatersheds.org. Completed applications should be sent by close of business March 18 to:

DNREC Nonpoint Source Program
C/O Sharon Webb
State Street Commons
100 West Water Street, Suite 6B
Dover, DE 19904

For more information, please contact Sharon Webb at sharon.webb@delaware.gov or 302-739-9922.

What is a Rain Barrel?
A rain barrel is a container that collects and stores water from roofs and downspouts for uses such as watering lawns, gardens, and house plants; cleaning off gardening tools; and washing your car. Rain barrels help lower your water bills, particularly in the summer months by collecting thousands of gallons of water a year. Rain barrels are also important for our environment because they help reduce water pollution by decreasing the amount of stormwater runoff reaching our streams and rivers. An average rainfall of one inch within a 24-hour period can produce more than 700 gallons of water that run off a typical house. This stormwater runoff picks up anything on the ground such as litter, excess fertilizer, pet waste, and motor oil, transporting it to storm drains that dump the untreated water directly into our waterways.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 57