WILMINGTON – A new DNREC YouTube Channel video details an innovative remediation project to remove PCBs from sediment in a ditch that discharges into the Christina River in Wilmington.

This spring, DNREC’s Watershed Approach to Toxics Assessment and Restoration (WATAR) Team and its partner University of Maryland, Baltimore County and contractor Brightfields, conducted a full-scale pilot test, using approximately 7 tons of Sedimite pellets inoculated with PCB-degrading micro-organisms to isolate and destroy legacy PCB contamination in a one-acre wetland area on A Street in Wilmington. With PCBs as the main cause of fish consumption advisories in the Christina Basin, the goal of the project is to prevent the contaminants from entering the food chain and impacting fish and other aquatic life.

Sedimite was the same product used for the Mirror Lake Remediation and Restoration Project in Dover in 2013, which has resulted in more than 80 percent reduction of PCBs in resident fish tissue in the five years since it was applied. The difference in this application – the first commercial application of bio-amended Sedimite in the country – was the inclusion of the PCB-destroying micro-organisms.

The WATAR Team expects successful results from the innovative pilot project and that the technology may become another tool that can be utilized in cleaning up legacy PCB contamination in other water bodies in the state.

The video can be found on the DNREC YouTube Channel at A-Street Ditch.

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

Vol. 49, No. 185

DOVER – The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council will meet at 9 a.m., Wednesday, June 19 in Conference Room 220, Kent County Administrative Complex, 555 South Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

More information about the meeting, including the agenda, can be found on the Statewide Meeting Calendar at https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/61418.

For more information about the Water Infrastructure Advisory Council, please visit the DNREC website.

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

Vol. 49, No. 139

Event being held as part of Reclaim Our River – Nanticoke Series

BLADES – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Watershed Stewardship staff will host a rain barrel-building workshop in conjunction with the Reclaim Our River (ROR)-Nanticoke Series Program from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 25 at Hardin Hall, 20 West 4th Street, Blades, DE 19973. Participation is limited and attendees are asked to preregister at eventbrite.com.

Workshop participants will receive free rain barrel conversion kits on a first-come, first-served basis, including a 55-gallon plastic drum or curbside trash can to take home as a ready-made rain barrel. The workshop will open with a brief overview about the benefits of rain barrels, the do’s and don’ts in using them, and barrel assembly and maintenance. Workshop participants can construct their own rain barrel with guidance, or request that DNREC staff or a ROR member help them with assembly. While the rain barrels are being put together, participants will also learn about watering native plants with them and about techniques to improve Delaware’s water quality.

This workshop is offered as part of the ROR-Nanticoke Series, a program designed to bring more water quality-oriented events, workshops, and recreational opportunities to the Nanticoke River watershed. The ROR program offers information on reducing nutrient and sediment pollution and improving water quality, 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 ROR program, please visit de.gov/nps.

Rain barrels collect and store water from roofs and downspouts for future uses such as watering lawns, gardens, and house plants; cleaning off gardening tools; and washing your car. Using a rain barrel can help lower water bills, particularly during the summer, by collecting thousands of gallons of usable water a year. Rain barrels also play an important role in reducing water pollution and protecting water resources by collecting the residential stormwater runoff before it reaches local streams and rivers.

For more information on the workshop, please contact Philip Miller at 302-739-9922 or email Philip.miller@delaware.gov.

Contact: Philip Miller, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship Conservation Programs Section, 302-739-9922; email: Philip.miller@delaware.gov

Vol. 49, No. 129

DOVER – The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council will meet Wednesday, April 17 at 9 a.m. in Conference Room 220, Kent County Administrative Complex, 555 S. Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

More information about the meeting, including the agenda, can be found on the Statewide Meeting Calendar at https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/61417

For more information about the Water Infrastructure Advisory Council, please visit the DNREC website or call 302-739-9306.

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

Vol. 49, No. 77

DOVER – The Town of Magnolia has become the 50th Delaware community to participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship announced today – with flood insurance now available to all property owners in the town.

Staff from DNREC’s Floodplain Management Program assisted the Town of Magnolia in submitting its application to join the NFIP. FEMA, which runs the NFIP program within the Department of Homeland Security, approved Magnolia’s application to participate on April 5.
Magnolia residents can now purchase flood insurance up to the limits under the regular phase of the program. For single-family dwellings, the standard policy building coverage limit is $250,000, while the contents’ coverage limit is $100,000.

FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps indicate areas of low, moderate and high flood risk, and, in many cases, predicted flood heights. Delaware floodplain data can be viewed on DNREC’s website at http://de.gov/floodplanning.

Lenders must require borrowers whose properties are located in a designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) to purchase flood insurance as a condition of receiving a federally-backed mortgage loan in accordance with the Federal Disaster Protection Act of 1973. Property owners not located within an SFHA can voluntarily purchase flood insurance from any agent or broker licensed to do business in Delaware. There is generally a 30-day waiting period before a newly-purchased flood insurance policy goes into effect. DNREC’s Floodplain Management Program advises property owners to contact their insurance company for any exceptions to this policy.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program boasts over 5.5 million flood insurance policies in more than 22,000 participating communities nationwide.

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

Vol. 48, No. 108