NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

June 2, 2010
Vol. 40, No. 183

Contact:  Tom Barthelmeh, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, 302-739-9921; or Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Delaware restoration projects featured in new Sustainable
Chesapeake publication

Delaware stream restoration projects and other successful initiatives that can guide conservation planning in the Chesapeake Watershed are featured in a new publication just released by The Conservation Fund, "A Sustainable Chesapeake – Better Models for Conservation." The book highlights 31 case studies that address critical land and water conservation issues and demonstrate innovative solutions for a more sustainable future for the region.

According to Tom Barthelmeh, DNREC environmental program manager and co-author/editor of Delaware’s case study, the concepts and techniques featured in the book will become valuable tools for improving, not only the Chesapeake, but other watersheds in the region.

“Each case study provides a comprehensive approach to protect and restore our environment that others can adopt and apply to their local conservation initiatives,” said Barthelmeh. “Delaware’s case study – 'Converting Drainage Ditches and Nonproductive Farmland into Functioning Streams and Wetlands' – includes some of the state’s best examples of channel and wetland restoration projects that enhance water quality and wildlife habitat while maintaining farm productivity.”

Almost 35 percent of Delaware lies within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and includes land in each county. Almost one-half of Sussex County, about one-third of Kent County and a small portion of New Castle County drain into the creeks and agricultural ditches that run into the headwaters of the Nanticoke, Pocomoke, Wicomico, Chester, Choptank and Sassafras Rivers, which drain into the Chesapeake Bay.

Five Delaware restoration projects are featured in the book, including the Carl Solberg project in Kent County – unique because the entire tax-ditch right-of-way was eliminated and a portion of the access-way restored to create a new wetland. The Heron Drain Tax Ditch project, completed in 2008, represents Delaware’s first use of a constructed wetland to reduce nutrients and sediment flowing through a ditch system. In Sussex County, the Smith Wetland Project restored a marginal agricultural field to a productive wetland. The Haines Stream and Wetland Project restored a tax ditch channel into a functioning stream and wetland ecosystem, and the Battista Wetland Project in Kent County restored a portion of a residential lawn to a backyard habitat.

The book is intricately designed with photos, diagrams, tables, facts and concepts that illustrate solutions to natural resource challenges. Topic areas are organized into six chapters: climate change solutions; stream restoration; green infrastructure; incentive driven conservation; watershed protection; and stewardship. Each chapter includes case studies that serve as models for more sustainable natural resource management.

A link to the book and Delaware restoration projects can be found on DNREC's Division of Soil & Water Conservation website.

Hard copies of the book are available on a limited basis by contacting The Conservation Fund through its website, www.conservationfund.org/sustainable-chesapeake. The website also offers the option to download individual case studies and chapters, or the entire publication as a pdf file.