DOVER – The DNREC Division of Water’s Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Section will conduct a public hearing Wednesday, June 8 to solicit input on the proposed Statewide Activity Approval (SAA) for shellfish aquaculture in specific, designated shellfish aquaculture development areas (SADA) in Delaware. The hearing will start at 6 p.m. at the Millville Fire Hall, 35554 Atlantic Ave, Millville, DE 19970.

The SAA, if adopted by DNREC, would be used by the Division of Water to more efficiently issue approvals for the use of subaqueous lands after shellfish aquaculture lease applicants have received authorization from the Division of Fish & Wildlife for shellfish aquaculture activities within specific portions of the SADAs previously established under 7 DE Admin Code 3800 Shellfish Aquaculture Regulation. The public is advised that the upcoming hearing will address only the use of the SAAs by the Division of Water to more efficiently review applications and issue permits – the state’s shellfish aquaculture regulation is not the subject of this hearing.

The SADAs eligible for approval by the Statewide Activity Approval, with their parenthetical designations, include Indian River Bay (IR-A), Rehoboth Bay (RB-A, RB-B, RB-C), and Little Assawoman Bay (LA-B in part and LA-D), specifically.

DNREC had previously published public notice of the proposed Statewide Activity Approval, accepting public comments on the SAA process during the March 23 – April 12, 2016 comment period. Subsequently, the Department determined that the public interest warranted holding the upcoming public hearing on the SAA, according to Wetlands & Subaqueous Lands Administrator Steven Smailer.

Anyone wishing to comment on the proposed SAA may present written statements through the close of the public comment period, which has been reopened and extended until the conclusion of the June 8 public hearing. Interested parties may also present comment orally or in written form at the hearing. Persons who want to speak at the public hearing are encouraged to register through DNREC’s hearing officer Robert Haynes in advance and no later than June 6. This registration will be used to determine the order of speakers at the public hearing.

Registration and any written comments should be sent either by emailing Robert.Haynes@delaware.gov or by mail to:

Robert P. Haynes, Esq.
Senior Hearing Officer
Office of the Secretary
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
P.O. Box 1401
89 Kings Highway,
Dover, DE 19901

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

Vol. 46, No. 204

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 – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Mosquito Control Section urges Delaware residents to “Fight the Bite!” by helping reduce local mosquito production on their residential, commercial or industrial properties through good water sanitation practices.

This effort involves regularly draining or changing unneeded sources of standing water that are stagnant for four or more consecutive days – or better yet, preventing water accumulation in the first place by upending, removing or storing indoors any outdoor containers that can hold water. “Mosquito Control & Your Backyard,” a new video on DNREC’s YouTube channel, includes more information on these good water sanitation practices.

Of the 57 mosquito species known to live in Delaware, 19 are problematic for people, either by biting or potentially transmitting mosquito-borne illnesses, or both. From early May through the first hard freeze in the fall, two of these species – the common house mosquito (Culex pipiens), a native species, and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), an invasive species first found here in 1987 – are common where people live, work or recreate in urban and suburban settings. In addition to their annoying bites, these mosquitoes are of particular concern due to their potential to carry and transmit illnesses, with the house mosquito a known carrier of West Nile virus, and the Asian tiger mosquito a possible Delaware vector for West Nile, chikungunya and Zika viruses.

“At this time, we have no evidence in Delaware that local Asian tiger mosquitoes have served as vectors to transmit Zika or chikungunya viruses to people,” said Delaware Mosquito Control Administrator Dr. William Meredith, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife. “However, science suggests that if local Asian tiger mosquitoes bite a returning traveler who has an active case of either of these viruses, those mosquitoes could become carriers and transmit Zika or chikungunya to those they bite next, with the potential to spread the viruses among humans and local mosquitoes.”

“The larvae of both the house mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito can grow in a variety of containers holding water in our backyards, so the best way to control both of these species is by eliminating such standing water,” Dr. Meredith said. “Due to the hard-to-reach and often hidden aquatic habitats where they deposit eggs that hatch into larvae, as well as the behaviors of adult mosquitos, Asian tiger mosquitos pose a particular challenge to control through our chemical insecticides or biological measures alone.”

DNREC YouTube Channel Video: “Mosquito Control & Your Backyard”During mosquito season, property owners are urged to do their part by cleaning debris from clogged rain gutters and emptying water from corrugated downspout extenders; frequently changing water in birdbaths; draining unused swimming pools and kiddie wading pools; and by preventing or draining standing water from outdoor containers such as discarded tires, cans, buckets, flower pot liners, children’s toys, unprotected water cisterns, upright wheelbarrows, uncovered trash cans, upturned trash can lids, open or lidless dumpsters, plugged or undrained boats, sags in tarps covering boats or ATVs, or other water-holding containers.

In comparison to many other mosquito species, common house mosquitoes and Asian tiger mosquitoes have short flight ranges of only a few hundred yards from where they hatch, but even this short distance can be enough to infest a neighborhood. Common house mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn, but will also feed throughout the night. Asian tiger mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters, but also feed at dusk and dawn.

“By practicing good water sanitation on their properties, residents will be helping themselves and their neighbors too – and the best results come from community-wide participation,” Dr. Meredith said, noting that means involving county or local municipal governments, homeowner or civic associations, property management groups or maintenance corporations as well as individual property owners in this common cause. “In the fight against house mosquitoes and Asian tiger mosquitoes, we’re all in this together – and every little bit helps.”

“Zika transmission continues to spread to new countries and the best way for people to protect themselves from Zika or any mosquito-borne illness is to prevent mosquito bites during travel abroad and during Delaware’s mosquito season. It is possible that local transmission could occur either from mosquito bites once the season starts, from sexual transmission or from mother to baby during pregnancy,” said Division of Public Health Medical Director Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh. “Taking precautions to stop mosquitoes from breeding around your home and preventing bites is the best protection.”

To report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes and request local relief, call Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County

For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, including more information about how to prevent or get rid of standing water that produces mosquitoes, call the field offices or the main Dover office at 302-739-9917, or visit de.gov/mosquito.

For more information about Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses in humans, please contact the Delaware Division of Public Health at 302-744-1033 or 888-295-5156. Facts and information on Zika and mosquito control also are available at the following links:

• English: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaq.pdf
• Spanish: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqsp.pdf
• Haitian Creole: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqhc.pdf

DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section provides statewide services to about 945,000 Delaware residents and 7.5 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya and Zika virus. Throughout the warmer months, Mosquito Control monitors and treats mosquito populations that emerge from wetland areas throughout the state, including ditches, stormwater ponds, wet woodlands and coastal salt marshes, using EPA-registered insecticides. These insecticides have been determined by EPA to pose no unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment when professionally applied. The Section also works year-round on water and marsh management projects designed to reduce mosquito populations, and provides the public with information on dealing with mosquitoes, from reducing backyard mosquito production to avoiding mosquito bites. For more information, call 302-739-9917 or visit de.gov/mosquito.

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

Vol. 46, No. 122

DOVER – DNREC Secretary David S. Small has issued a Notice of Administrative Penalty Assessment and Secretary’s Order to Sal Dellomo and Hylton’s Market, Inc., for violations of Delaware’s underground storage tank rules and regulations. The Order includes a cash penalty of $85,000 and an additional $3,489 as cost recovery reimbursement for the Department’s Tank Management Section’s expenses associated with its investigation.

Mr. Dellomo and Hylton’s Market, Inc., are owners of the owners of Hylton’s Market in Camden-Wyoming, Del., where the violations occurred.

DNREC’s Tank Management Section conducted a compliance inspection of the underground storage tank (UST) systems at the facility on June 4, 2014. During the inspection the Tank Management Section recorded 17 violations and noted that Sal Dellomo/Hylton’s Market Inc. was not maintaining the facility’s UST system.

Following inspection, DNREC provided the owners several opportunities to correct the violations and prohibited deliveries of petroleum to the facility. On March 26, 2015, the Department issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) letter to Mr. Dellomo/Hylton’s Market Inc. for the seven violations that remained.

Since that time, three of the seven violations have been corrected. The penalty addresses the remaining four violations including Sal Dellomo and Hylton’s Market, Inc.’s failure to produce tank release detection records; failure to produce monthly reconciled inventory records; failure to provide monthly routine inspection records; and failure to provide daily vapor recovery inspection and maintenance records.

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

Mr. Dellomo and Hylton’s Market, Inc. have 30 days to request a public hearing regarding these matters.

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

Vol. 46, No. 107

Reminder for the week: Upstate trout season opens April 2; streams closed two weeks prior

DOVER – To achieve public compliance through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between March 7-13 made 1002 contacts with anglers, boaters, hunters and the general public, including 38 vessel boardings for boating safety and fishing regulation compliance checks. Officers responded to 38 complaints and issued 11 citations, one of which was related to the C&D Canal Conservation Area and associated recreational trail, where there is an increased Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police presence.

Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:

Wildlife Conservation: Operating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area (1)*, trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area (2), and dumping on a state wildlife area (1).

Fisheries Conservation: Unlicensed fishing (5), and improperly marked recreational gill net (1).

Boating and Boating Safety: Operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets (1).

* Citation issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

Are you AWARE?
DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police reminds anglers that Delaware’s upstate freshwater trout season opens at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 2, in six streams in New Castle County. The designated trout streams are closed to fishing for two weeks prior to the scheduled season opening, beginning Saturday, March 19.

The six designated trout streams are:

• Beaver Run, from the Delaware-Pennsylvania state line to the Brandywine River;
• Christina Creek, from the Delaware-Maryland state line through Rittenhouse Park;
• Mill Creek, from Brackenville Road to Route 7;
• Pike Creek, from Route 72 to Henderson Road;
• White Clay Creek, from the Delaware-Pennsylvania state line to the downstream side of Paper Mill Road; and
• Wilson Run, from Route 92 through Brandywine Creek State Park.

Downstate trout season remains open at Tidbury Pond in Dover and Newton Pond near Greenwood, both of which opened March 5. Trout are a cold water species and survive only while water temperatures in the ponds remain cool, so anglers are encouraged to keep their catch.

Most trout anglers are required to purchase a Delaware recreational fishing license and a Delaware Trout Stamp. The license covers fresh and tidal waters as well as crabbing and clamming and costs $8.50 for residents ages 16 through 64. Persons under the age of 16 and residents age 65 and older are not required to purchase fishing licenses in Delaware, although exempt persons may purchase fishing licenses and trout stamps if they so choose to help support fisheries management and trout stocking efforts. For non-resident anglers age 16 and older, a Delaware fishing license costs $20.

For residents age 16 through 64, a trout stamp costs $4.20. For residents age 12 through 15, a youth trout stamp costs $2.10. For non-residents, a trout stamp is required for all anglers age 12 and older and costs $6.20. Trout anglers younger than age 12 and resident anglers age 65 and older are not required to purchase a trout stamp. A trout stamp is not needed after April 1 at Tidbury Pond and Newton Pond or after June 30 to fish the trout streams.

Delaware fishing licenses and trout stamps are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.

For more information on fishing in Delaware, click on 2016 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting and boating laws and regulations. Citizens are encouraged to report fish, wildlife and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030 or online at de.gov/ogt.

Media Contacts: Cpl. John McDerby, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 84