Governor Carney, City of Wilmington, and DEMA Announce Flood Assistance Programs

Resources announced following Recovery Resource Fair where agencies connected with more than 200 households

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney announced on Wednesday more than 200 households affected by last week’s storm found assistance at the Disaster Recovery Resource Fair hosted by the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), the City of Wilmington, and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) at The Warehouse. Over 20 agencies and local partners were in attendance to ensure those affected by flooding had access to the resources they need.

Two additional resources were also announced to help Wilmington families with recovery efforts:

DEMA announced a new Flood Cleanup Assistance program that will provide cleanup services for qualifying households through the Milford Housing Development Corporation.
The City of Wilmington announced a toll-free Crisis Cleanup Hotline (1-844-965-1386) to serve as a clearinghouse for all the muck out, tear out, and water removal needs of those directly affected by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

“Homeowners and renters along the Brandywine have faced significant challenges from the flooding last week, and that’s why we are all working to connect them with resources and help them through this difficult recovery process,” said Governor Carney. “We’re grateful for the local, state, and community partners across Delaware who are helping our neighbors in Wilmington, and for standing up these important resources that will help residents with cleanup efforts in the affected areas.”

DEMA’s Flood Assistance Program is an effort funded by the state’s EmergencyManagement Resilience Fund. Cleanup services by DEMA in coordination with the Milford Housing Development Corporation may include:

Mucking
Removal of damaged drywall
Moisture control of affected areas
Minor structural repairs
Insurance deductible assistance

“This was a life-altering event for many Wilmington residents, and we know that they are hurting and need assistance. We are working to bring all available resources to bear including local, state, federal, volunteer, and non-profit partners, to help address immediate needs and begin long term recovery,” said AJ Schall, Director of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency. “The Milford Housing Development Corporation was a fantastic partner assisting with recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Isaias last summer. We are pleased to be able to partner with them again to assist the survivors from last week’s flooding with cleanup to start them on the path to recovery.”

Residents should apply for DEMA’s Flood Assistance Program by calling: 1-844-413-0038. Eligibility for this program includes those living in single households earning less than $52,000 per year, with a higher limit for families. Individuals will also need to show proof of residency in the area outlined here: Along the East side of Northeast Boulevard to 17th Street, from 17th to Bowers, from Bowers to E. 12th Street, from E. 12th Street to Pullman and from Pullman to Northeast Boulevard.

Click here to view a map of the eligible areas.

Mayor Mike Purzycki and the City of Wilmington’s emergency management team also announced a toll-free Crisis Cleanup Hotline number to serve as a clearinghouse for all the muck out, tear out, and water removal needs of those directly affected by the storm. Residents needing assistance can call 1-844-965-1386 to be connected with local volunteer groups that may assist with:

Cutting fallen trees
Removing drywall, flooring and appliances
Tarping roofs
Mold mitigation

In partnership with the Delaware Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (DEVOAD), these services are performed by volunteers and will be provided at no cost to the resident. Service is not guaranteed, and resources are limited. After providing your information to the Hotline, residents may be contacted by a representative from a participating organization who will determine if they are able to provide assistance.

“It’s a difficult task to pull lives and properties back together again following natural and unexpected disasters,” said City of Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki. “The past several days have tested the ability of the community and government to come together as quickly as possible to assist affected residents and businesses. We have a great deal of work to do, but the City and State are committed to the tasks and challenges ahead.”

The Crisis Cleanup Hotline will remain open with extended hours until Friday, October 1, 2021, though residents can call and leave a message at any time and a volunteer will return the call as soon as possible.

This hotline does not provide help with social services such as food, clothing, and shelter. For food assistance or other social services, please contact the Social Services Call Center: 302-571-4900. Deaf or Hearing-Impaired individuals can call 7-1-1 and give the Customer Service Call Center number. Residents should continue to call 9-1-1 in an emergency.

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Be Part of the Solution to Pollution in the Inland Bays Aug. 28 Boat Captains Needed to Volunteer

Rehoboth Beach, Del. — Volunteers with boats are needed to help the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays to remove debris from the Bays during the Annual Inland Bays Clean Up from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28.

The effort will focus on the shores along Rehoboth and Indian River Bays by boat, while the Delaware Department of Transportation’s Adopt-A-Highway groups will be coordinating cleanups on land. The water-based cleanup, which has been organized by the Center since the early 2000s, is supported by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).

Previous cleanup efforts have netted thousands of pounds of trash, including plastic bottles and bags, tires, cans, wrappers, fishing gear and docking lumber. Trash in local waterways can be harmful to both Bay users and a variety of coastal and aquatic life including birds, fish and mammals such as dolphins.

The Center is in need of boat captains with power boats to collect and transport debris. Boat captains interested in volunteering should contact Program Manager Bob Collins at 302-226-8105 ext. 711 or at jamesfarm@inlandbays.org.

Non-boat owners will also be needed to help with the trash collection on the water, as well as unloading what’s collected into a dumpster on land. Volunteers can register for the 2021 Clean Up online at tinyurl.com/InlandBaysCleanUp. Advance registration is required so that the Center can reserve adequate space on the boats.

Volunteers will be assigned to specific cleanup locations on the day of the event at the launch point: Massey’s Landing Public Boat Ramp, located at the end of Long Neck Road in Millsboro.

Volunteers should be prepared for the weather (including cooler, breezy conditions on the water) and should dress for dirty and wet conditions. Work gloves are recommended and closed-toe shoes are required. Those who have access to lifejackets should bring one, as they are required onboard any boat used during the cleanup. Lifejackets will be provided as needed. Volunteers also should plan to bring their own water and snacks or lunch as refreshments will not be provided.

Each volunteer must sign a waiver to participate (which will be available the day-of). This event is not recommended for children under 12, and participants under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian.

The Center will be following the CDC and state guidelines regarding COVID-19.

DNREC is once again lending support through its Delaware Natural Resources Police. Sponsors include the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation, Dewey Beach Lions Club, GFL Environmental/Waste Industries of Delaware, state Senator Ernie Lopez and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Community Cleanup Initiative.

For more information, please contact Program Manager Bob Collins at 302-226-8105 ext. 711 or email communications@inlandbays.org.

About The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays
The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays is a nonprofit organization established in 1994, and is one of 28 National Estuary Programs. With its many partners, the Center works to preserve, protect and restore Delaware’s Inland Bays and their watershed. Learn more at inlandbays.org.

Contact: Bob Collins, Program Manager, 302-226-8105 ext. 711

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Volunteers Needed to Participate in Christina River Watershed Cleanup in April

In recognition of Earth Day, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control joins the Christina Conservancy to encourage northern Delaware residents to get outside and safely clean up their communities. The Christina River Watershed Cleanup campaign is mobilizing volunteers throughout April to pick up trash in their own neighborhoods, on beaches and along waterways within northern New Castle County, from Brandywine Hundred south through Glasgow and Bear.

“For nearly 30 years, DNREC has partnered with the Christina Conservancy to focus volunteer efforts on keeping the waterways and watersheds of northern Delaware clean through the annual Christina River Watershed Cleanup,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin. “This year, as we celebrate Earth Day all month long, we urge all Delawareans statewide to get outside and make a difference close to home for waterways and watersheds throughout the First State.”

Unlike previous years, no pre-registration is needed for this month-long cleanup campaign. Volunteers are asked to clean up debris, like cigarette butts, beverage containers, food wrappers and more, that easily end up in waterways and ultimately in the ocean.

While large groups are discouraged, volunteers will have greater freedom to select when, where, and how often their household participates. They can see locations, document their findings and share photos in a new mobile-friendly online volunteer hub at Christina Cleanup Campaign.

All month long, find ideas about how to get involved in the 2021 Christina River Watershed Cleanup on Facebook and Twitter. Volunteers can post photos on facebook.com/ChristinaCleanup for a chance to win a 2021 Delaware State Parks pass. Each photo post counts as an entry. Volunteers can post as often as they like throughout the month.

Within the Naamans Creek Watershed, which is also part of northern Delaware’s Piedmont Basin and the Delaware Estuary, volunteers are invited to participate in an Earth Day Cleanup from April 18 to 24. Participants can select from 34 locations using a Signup Genius link.

Important Reminders:

Pick up trash near your home along streets, roadways, and in natural areas and open spaces.
Know your limitations and be aware of possibly hazardous areas, including along roadways, streambanks, and steep or slippery slopes.
Pack a disposable bag and rubber gloves whenever you take a walk or go hiking, to collect and carry out trash you find along the way.
Always Recycle Right. Only recycle clean items through curbside recycling or designated drop-off locations. Items with lots of dirt or grit attached or inside should be placed in your household trash.

Avoid These Actions:

Don’t enter private property without permission of the landowner.
Don’t place yourself in any danger while volunteering for the Christina River Cleanup.
Don’t collect any trash that your household waste hauler might not accept. Tires, construction materials, and metal drums may be unacceptable.

For more information, visit Christina River Watershed Cleanup or email ChristinaRiverCleanup@gmail.com.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, Joanna.wilson@delaware.gov, Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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Investigation of Closed Solvay Polymer Facility

DNREC Reaches Settlement with Company for Investigation, Possible Remediation at Site

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control today announced a settlement with Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, LLC to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allegedly released from the company’s facility in the Marshallton area of New Castle County.

On Sept. 11, 2020 DNREC notified Solvay that it is a potentially responsible party (PRP) for the alleged PFAS release and offered the company an opportunity to enter DNREC’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) in accordance with Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act (HSCA) regulations.

Solvay is an international company that recently closed and decommissioned its facility located at 800 Greenbank Road in Marshallton. Solvay processed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by irradiating the PTFE feedstock, then milling it to a fine powder that was sold as product.

Under the terms of the settlement, Solvay must perform a comprehensive environmental investigation at the site and at potentially affected surrounding areas under the oversight of DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances. Based on the results of the remedial investigation, an appropriate remedy will be proposed to address any soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater contamination which may be discovered at the site and in the surrounding areas affected by a release from the Solvay plant. At present, DNREC’s soil, sediment, and surface-water testing has not identified any known potential for health concerns for residents in the surrounding neighborhood or along Red Clay Creek.

To view the settlement, visit the DNREC website at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/secretarys-orders/enforcement/.

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

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DNREC Updates A-Street Ditch PCB Cleanup Pilot Project

A new report prepared for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control indicates that the innovative technology being tested in Wilmington’s A-Street Ditch cleanup pilot project continues to show promise. The report summarizes data collected one year after biologically-enhanced carbon pellets were applied to sediments in the ditch to clean up polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Conducted by the DNREC’s Watershed Approach to Toxics Assessment and Restoration (WATAR) program, the technology deployed in the A-Street Ditch project uses an activated carbon product (SediMite™) with the addition of PCB-destroying micro-organisms. The activated carbon sequesters PCBs and over time the micro-organisms degrade and destroy PCB molecules. A similar technology was successfully demonstrated in an earlier DNREC project at Mirror Lake in Dover.

PCBs are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic legacy industrial compounds. They pose ecological and human health risks and are the largest contributor to fish consumption advisories issued periodically by DNREC and the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Results of DNREC’s July 2020 sampling of the A-Street Ditch show reduced concentrations of dissolved PCBs in the sediment porewater – the water trapped between grains of sediment in the bottom of a water body – across the entire project area. Results from two of the nine samples that were collected in July 2020 (one surface water sample and one sediment sample) showed localized increases in PCB concentrations. The WATAR team is evaluating potential reasons for these increases and will make their findings public when available. DNREC is planning to assess PCB concentrations in sediment, surface water and sediment porewater again in July.

DNREC’s A-Street Ditch pilot project was supported by Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act (HSCA) funds and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency multi-purpose grant. Visit the DNREC-WATAR webpage for monitoring reports about the A-Street Ditch project. Additional information about the Mirror Lake-Dover project can also be found on the DNREC-WATAR webpage.

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 Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. 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 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 DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov or Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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