1. Water Resource Issues in
Delaware
• Topic of
Masters
thesis
• June 2002-
May 2004
• IPA, WRA,
DNREC
Aquifer

2. Aquifers=Groundwater
• Groundwater and
surface water are a
single source
• One is connected to
the other
• Anything that impacts
one, impacts the other
Groundwater entering the pond
• Potomac and Columbia creates these polynya
Aquifers
• SAS taps the Potomac
Aquifer

3. Potomac
Aquifer

4. Columbia
Aquifer

5. Suburbanization
•
Role of State Route 1
•
Removal of natural vegetation
runoff, infiltration, nitrate levels in
water
•
Impervious cover : footprint of
homes, roads/driveways, shopping
centers: infiltration
•
Subdivisions: water consumption—
pools, golf courses, Anderson Homes
“Designed to make a statement”
•
We see a net movement of water out
of a watershed

6. Agriculture
•
Poultry: 200 million chickens/
year in DE. Drink water,
Produce nitrate-rich manure:
polluting surface and ground
water
•
Farming: acreage farmed
increase in irrigation (plus
competition with
subdivisions)
•
Food Processing: washing
and packaging of above .

7. Industry
•
Spills and storage of toxic chemicals
(chemical industry/petroleum industry)
•
Metachem LLC: Superfund site,
chlorobenzene spill 1986, $100 million
cleanup, largely un-remediated.(DNREC/
EPA in charge of site)
•
Local contamination of air, soil, and ground
water (Columbia Aquifer); potential
contamination of the Potomac Aquifer.

8. Privatization of Water Service
and Wastewater Treatment
•
Corporations= sales, profits, shareholders,
commodities
•
Can this be a model for wise management/
conservation of a scarce resource?
•
Artesian, DE’s largest private water provider
•
Provides infrastructure and water delivery to
New Castle County
•
Provides wastewater treatment (2X the
expense of above)
•
The State regulates price (rate)

9. Saltwater
Intrusion
•
Particular problem
potentially to coastal areas of
DE as population increases
•
As ground water is removed,
seawater enters coastal
aquifers contaminating them
•
Cape May, NJ and their
Cohansey Aquifer had this
happen
•
Above must rely on
expensive desalination
process for drinking water
now

10. Subsidence
•
Removal of large amounts of ground water
compacts aquitards formations containing
water)
•
Compacted aquitards do not recharge fully
•
Land lowers (sinks) i.e. Dover, DE and
Bowers Beach, DE
•
More vulnerable to flood, tidal surge
•
Damage to infrastructure: bridges, roads,
piping, buildings.