WILMINGTON – DNREC’s Emergency Response team sampled the air today in several New Castle County communities in the immediate area of the ongoing Bancroft Mills for airborne asbestos resulting from the fire – with 11 samples taken during the day revealing no airborne asbestos contamination in the area.

Air monitoring done Nov. 13 at the nearby Friends School of Wilmington also proved negative for airborne asbestos as sampled by the same microscopy methods used by DNREC Emergency Response.. DNREC Secretary David Small said the Department was acting today in an abundance of caution as the fire continued to smolder underground 10 days after it broke out, burning down the vacant textile mill that dated back to 1895.

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

Vol. 46, No. 4041

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DOVER – Give a gift that lasts all year long – an annual Delaware State Parks pass good for admission year-round to all state parks. The new passes, as well as surf permits, will go on sale online beginning Friday, Nov. 25, and at authorized stores and park offices beginning Monday, Nov. 28.

DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation has more good news for visitors: the placement of the annual pass has changed this year. It adheres to the outside of a vehicle’s windshield, rather than the inside.

“Many of our customers were having difficulty removing the sticker, and with tinted windshields, the Division felt it was time to put the sticker on the outside,” said Mary Voshell, chief of the Division’s Office of Business Services. “On the outside, the pass will be much easier to adhere to – and remove from – the windshield.” The pass will also be much more visible, Voshell added. “Staff and park rangers can now more easily see the pass in order to waive customers through the entrance stations and to check for violations.”

The new annual passes are $35 for residents and $18 for residents age 62 and older. These, along with surf tags and military passes will be available online Nov. 25 at www.destateparks.com/fees/passes. On Nov. 28, the public can purchase them from state park offices, DNREC’s Dover licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building at 89 Kings Highway, or from authorized agents including: Eastern Marine in Newark, Carlisle Marine in Smyrna, Sam’s Fishing and Tackle in Greenwood, That Place in Millsboro, and Dover Air Force Base and the Rehoboth Beach/ Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center.

Delaware State Parks annual park passes and surf permits make great holiday gifts for the entire family, providing a full year of outdoor adventure, in one of Delaware’s 14 state parks. Whether it’s to hike or bike one of the many trails, walk the sandy beaches, participate in a nature program or attend an evening concert, the annual pass is a gift filled with year round activities.

“For just $35, Delaware residents can enjoy unlimited park visits for families and friends to enjoy the outdoors,” said Ray Bivens, Delaware State Parks director. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who support our efforts to preserve and protect open space, improve services and expand recreational opportunities. It is truly the support of Delawareans and visitors to our state that has been the cornerstone of our wonderfully diverse parks system.”

Delaware’s state parks are primarily self-funded; 65 percent of state park revenue used to operate and maintain the parks is generated by park users. Annual passes not only are important to sustain state parks, they are a convenient way to access the parks for the entire fee season.

Delaware State Parks won the highest honor a state parks system can receive: the 2016 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. This prestigious award recognizes state parks systems throughout the nation that best address the needs of those they serve. Delaware State Parks was the only small state to ever be voted “America’s Best.”

Vol. 46, No. 402

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Public information meeting set for Nov. 17 at UD’s Clayton Hall

DOVER – Following nearly two decades of successful efforts by the City of Newark, DNREC and the Division of Public Health Office of Drinking Water (DPH ODW) to maintain a safe drinking water supply for the city, DNREC is requesting federal assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in resolving groundwater concerns in the Newark area and determining the sources of contamination there.

State officials from DNREC and DPH ODW, along with representatives of the City of Newark, with support from the EPA, will hold a public informational meeting Thursday, Nov. 17 about the Newark South Groundwater Plume Site, which encompasses an area of southeast Newark along Route 72 between Interstate 95 and Route 4 (East Chestnut Hill Road) in New Castle County. The meeting will take place from 6 – 8 p.m. at the University of Delaware’s Clayton Hall Auditorium 125, located at 100 Hollowell Drive, Newark, DE 19716.

The City of Newark has six municipal wells located in the area where groundwater has been impacted by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are organic compounds found in some industrial and commercial products that can cause adverse human health effects. Newark’s drinking water is treated by the city to remove VOCs from the water supply, enabling the water to continue meeting both federal and the more stringent state safe drinking water standards.

The source of the groundwater contamination has not been identified, despite numerous environmental investigations and remedial efforts by DNREC at sites of potential concern. DNREC subsequently has requested EPA’s assistance to help fully investigate the site and identify the sources of the VOCs contamination in the groundwater.

The public information meeting offers an opportunity for DNREC, DPH ODW, EPA and City of Newark representatives to discuss with the community, the upcoming investigation work by EPA on groundwater contamination in the area. The EPA will use Superfund authority and resources to determine if the site warrants further long-term investigation and cleanup. EPA’s investigations could result in the site’s being listed on the National Priorities List (NPL).

A brief presentation of the site’s history will be given by DNREC’s Site Investigation & Restoration Section while Newark officials will discuss the ongoing, successful treatment of the public water supply at the city’s South Well Field Treatment Plant, which ensures Newark’s drinking water meets all primary and secondary maximum contaminant levels specified by the Safe Drinking Water Act and DPH’s Office of Drinking Water. Representatives will be available after the presentation at information stations to answer questions.

For more information regarding the City of Newark’s South Well Field Treatment Plant and municipal water supply, please contact:

Tom Coleman, Director of Public Works and Water Resources, or
Mark Neimeister, Water Operations Superintendent
City of Newark
302-366-7000
www.cityofnewarkde.us

For more information regarding the public information session and the proposed investigations at the Newark South Groundwater Plume Site, please contact:

Timothy Ratsep, Administrator, or
Christina Wirtz, Outreach Ombudsman
DNREC Site Investigation and Restoration Section
302-395-2600
Email: Timothy.Ratsep@delaware.gov or Christina.Wirtz@delaware.gov

Vol. 46, No. 395

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

DOVER – The Source Water Protection Citizens and Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC) of the DNREC-led Source Water Assessment and Protection Program will meet from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Conference Room 220 of the Kent County Administrative Offices at 555 South Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

The agenda includes the following items:
• An update on recent source water projects and initiatives in Delaware;
• A presentation by Scott Andres of the Delaware Geological Survey on Delaware’s Ground Water Monitoring Network;
• A presentation from attorney Max B. Walton of the law firm Connolly Gallagher LLP on wellhead protection; and
• A presentation by Jennifer Adkins of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary on the Schuylkill Action Network, a source water collaborative in southeastern Pennsylvania.

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. 359

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DOVER – October is “Children in Nature Month,” and to celebrate, the Delaware Children in Nature Coalition is launching a new statewide outdoor activity program for kids – “Children in Nature Prescription for Health.”

More than 3,000 “Prescription for Health” cards have been distributed so far in communities throughout the state. They are being offered in schools, doctors’ offices and other organizations and businesses that take part in the state’s Children in Nature Coalition. Kids pick up the “prescription” cards, which list numerous healthy activities and where those activities are being offered. Children who participate in the activities fill in their cards and are then eligible to win free prizes in a monthly drawing. The activities are free of charge.

The program will remain in effect beyond Children in Nature month,  and new cards will be available at any time.

The Delaware Children in Nature Coalition is a group of more than 19 partner organizations, including DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation, that are Delaware’s leaders in child health and welfare, and environmental education. The coalition identifies and promotes outdoor programs and activities designed to get children to participate in outdoor activities.

Children in Nature Month was first declared by Governor Markell in 2014. That year, more than 219,000 kids and families took part in programs at 16 sites across the state. That number increased to more than 228,000 at 31 sites last year. This year, more than 40 programs have taken place throughout October in all regions of the state. The Children in Nature initiative provides meaningful outdoor experiences and promotes healthy lifestyles for children.

For more information, or to download a “Prescription for Health” card, visit dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/children-in-nature/, or call Franchesca Garland, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9221.