DOVER – As inland water temperatures rise and aquatic plants emerge, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife has started treating downstate ponds for nuisance aquatic weeds. These nuisance weeds, if left unchecked, can choke the water they’ve invaded, crowd out beneficial plant species and prevent fishing and boating access. Blairs Pond and Abbotts Pond, both near Milford, were treated this month. Other public-access ponds to be treated are Concord Pond near Seaford, Wagamons Pond in Milton and Millsboro Pond.

Hydrilla, a non-native plant that likely entered the state through the aquarium trade, is the primary target of the treatment. The Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Fisheries Section is applying Sonar, an EPA-registered and approved aquatic herbicide containing fluridone, to the ponds where it is widespread. In compliance with new guidelines issued by the EPA, DNREC has filed a notice of intent to use Sonar and has submitted a pesticide discharge management plan to the EPA.

Sonar has been used in Delaware since the 1980s and has proven environmentally compatible and effective for controlling hydrilla. Sonar does not pose any threat to wildlife, including fish. “There are no restrictions on fishing or consumption of fish as a result of these treatments,” said Fisheries Administrator John Clark.

Signs are posted in the boat ramp area of each pond on the day of treatment. The only special precaution for residents is a 30-day restriction from the date of treatment on water use from the ponds. “Residents who live alongside the ponds and those directly downstream should not use pond water to irrigate their gardens, yards or agricultural lands for 30 days following treatment to avoid possible damage to their plantings,” Clark said.

To prevent the spread of invasive aquatic vegetation to other ponds and waterways, anglers and boaters are encouraged to remove all hydrilla and other aquatic plants from their boats, trailers and gear before leaving the boat ramp area, said Clark.

In the case of state-managed ponds used for crop irrigation, such as Griffith Lake, farmers who irrigate from them are contacted prior to treatment to ensure that the 30-day after-treatment water-use restriction will not negatively impact their agricultural activities. In some cases, Fish & Wildlife-managed ponds cannot be treated due to agricultural water needs.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife treats only state-managed ponds that allow public access for anglers, since the treatment work is funded through the Federal Sport Fish Restoration Program and state fishing license funds. While the Division of Fish & Wildlife does not treat private ponds, it can provide a list of businesses licensed in Delaware to treat nuisance aquatic weeds. For more information on treatment of state-managed ponds, please call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

Residents also are reminded that in order to use water from Delaware’s freshwater ponds, an annual permit from DNREC’s Division of Water is required. Residents who have these permits will receive individual advance notice of the upcoming pond treatments.

For information on obtaining an irrigation permit from the Division of Water, please call Bill Cocke, Water Allocation Section, at 302-739-9945. More information can be found on the DNREC website at Water Supply. For the permit application, scroll down and click the link to “Short Form.”

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

Vol. 46, No. 186

Proposals due by May 25

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship and the office of Environmental Finance are now accepting project proposals from state, county and municipal governments and governmental subdivisions for matching grants for wastewater and surface water project planning. Proposals must be received by 4:30 p.m. May 25, 2016.

Eligible projects include planning, preliminary engineering and feasibility analysis of: wastewater 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 and Surface Water Matching Planning Grant programs are set-asides in the State’s Clean Water Revolving Fund. Projects will be recommended for funding by the Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council through a competitive grant process. New for this grant cycle are insurance requirements of the grant recipient.

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 more information, contact Greg Pope, Environmental Finance at 302-739-9941 or Jim Sullivan, Division of Watershed Stewardship at 302-739-9922.

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

Vol. 46, No. 147

DOVER – DNREC’s Community Involvement Advisory Council (CIAC) will hold an informational public workshop Monday, April 25 to address the ongoing concerns of Harbeson area residents related to improvements to the Allen Harim Foods LLC poultry processing facility’s wastewater treatment plant and other operational issues. The workshop will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Milton Fire Hall, 116 Front Street, Milton, DE 19968.

The workshop was scheduled in response to residents’ concerns that a previous DNREC public hearing about the Allen Harim plant should have been held in Milton, which is closer in proximity to the Harbeson facility, than in Millsboro, where the hearing was held last November. The concerns surfaced in two separate community meetings and caught the attention of local elected officials and Joseph G. Farrell, a Sussex County representative who serves on the CIAC.

According to comments from Mr. Farrell in the CIAC’s December 2015 and February 2016 bi-monthly meetings, questions about the hearing location, along with lingering concerns about environmental issues, might lead the public to question the integrity of the Department and the state’s public hearing process. The CIAC approved a motion from Mr. Farrell to convene a CIAC-sponsored public workshop at the council’s February meeting.

In response to his motion, Mr. Farrell and DNREC staff met directly with leaders of the Harbeson Community Improvement Association to receive their input in planning the April 25 public workshop. That meeting revealed the residents’ concern over operational issues such as odors, plant traffic and debris which could only be experienced by people living near the facility.

James Brunswick, DNREC community ombudsman, said the CIAC is fulfilling its mission by hosting the informational public workshop. He also noted that the workshop is for informational purposes only and the proceedings will not be included in any record associated with DNREC permitting decisions.

DNREC’s Community Involvement Advisory Council is established under 29 Delaware Code 8016A. Among the duties of the Council are to increase the flow of information between communities and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and to facilitate a dialogue among all stakeholders in the decision making process.

Media Contact: James Brunswick, DNREC Community Ombudsman, 302-739-9040

Vol. 46, No. 138

DOVER – The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council (WIAC) will hold a public hearing, followed by a council meeting, beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 20 at the Kent County Administrative Complex, Conference Room 220, 555 S. Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

Agendas:

Public hearing:
Draft Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) FY 2016 Project Priority Lists (PPL) and Intended Use Plans (IUP)

• Call to order
• Overview – Draft CWSRF and DWSRF FY 2016 PPLs and IUPs
• WIAC comments
• Public comments
• Public record to remain open until May 23, 2016
• Adjourn

Council meeting:

• Call to order
• Approval of agenda
• Approval of Feb. 17 meeting minutes
• WIAC Updates
  • Asset Management presentation, Town of Millsboro
  • Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Assessment follow-up
  • Overview of MS4s and community requirements
  • Clean Water and Flood Abatement Task Force update
  • Robert Palmer, acting director for Division of Watershed Stewardship
• New business
  • WIAC vote to recommend draft FY 2016 CWSRF and DWSRF PPLs and IUPs
  • State Revolving Fund project affordability criteria for investor-owned utilities – Tidewater Utilities
  • Wastewater Matching Planning Grant requests
  • Drinking Water Asset Management Planning Grant Incentive requests
  • Drinking Water Innovative and Technology Grant request – City of Newark
  • Drinking Water Planning Grant Extension request – Fort DuPont
  • Community Water Quality Improvement Grant requests
  • Surface Water Matching Planning Grant – various items
• Reports
  • Administrators’ reports:
  • CWSRF project status update
  • CWSRF – DWSRF financial reports (cash flow models)
• Subcommittees’ Reports
  • Wastewater
  • Drinking water
  • Surface water management
  • Finance
• Public comment
• Next WIAC meeting date and adjourn

For more information about the WIAC, please call 302-739-9941

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

Vol. 46, No.118

DOVER – The Source Water Protection Citizens and Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC) of the Source Water Assessment and Protection Program will meet from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, May 4, in Conference Room 220 A&B of the Kent County Administrative Offices at 555 South Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

The agenda includes:

• An update on recent source water projects and initiatives in Delaware;
• A presentation by State Geologist David Wunsch on the National Ground Water Monitoring Network;
• A presentation from Dr. Holly Michael of the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment on seawater intrusion; and
• A presentation by Dr. Thomas McKenna on “Potential Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Groundwater Resources in the Delaware Coastal Plain.”

For more information about the Source Water Assessment and Protection Program, including a full agenda for this meeting, please visit http://delawaresourcewater.org, or contact Program Manager Anita Beckel at 302-739-9945.

Delaware’s Source Water Assessment Plan was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October 1999. The program is charged with delineating source water areas around all sources of public drinking water in the state, identifying all existing and potential sources of contamination within those areas and making the information available to the public. The Source Water Protection Law of 2001 maintains the CTAC as an advisory committee to the Secretary of DNREC on the implementation of the Source Water Assessment Plan and closely related matters.

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

Vol. 46, No. 11