The Inland Bays/Atlantic Ocean Basin’s many streams, wetlands, and tidal rivers and bays support a diversity of fish and wildlife and provide abundant recreational opportunities. Delaware’s Inland Bays are the crown jewel of an exceptional beach recreational industry that draws thousands of visitors to enjoy the sun, sand, water, and natural resources of Rehoboth, Indian River, and Little Assawoman bays.

As recently as 1975, Delaware routinely experienced serious water pollution and public health problems as a result of the discharge of untreated sewage. Since then, localized improvements in water quality have been achieved through voluntary efforts, regulatory actions, and significant private and public investments in wastewater treatment facilities. However, the need for additional cleanup and pollution prevention continues.

The focus of water-quality management has expanded from point source discharges to decreased stream flows and nonpoint source problems such as urban and agricultural runoff, erosion, and sedimentation. Unaddressed, these problems lead to poor habitat conditions for fish and other aquatic life, diminished enjoyment of bay waters for recreation, and unhealthy conditions.

WATER RESOURCES ISSUES

A number of water resource issues have arisen in the Inland Bays/ Atlantic Ocean Basin over the past several years, from how to address habitat loss, to concerns about toxic outbreaks of Pfiesteria.

The Inland Bays are suffering from excessive nutrients (eutrophication) that cause unwanted algal blooms, including Pfiesteria and red and brown tides. The algal blooms block sunlight from reaching the bottom of the bays and cause the level of dissolved oxygen to decrease. These changes in environmental quality have led to fish kills, loss of desirable submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) or sea grasses, and declines in desirable finfish and shellfish habitat.

In the past two decades, a marked resurgence of sea grass has occurred in Delmarva’s coastal bays with the exception of Delaware’s Inland Bays. Recent attempts to reestablish eelgrass in the Inland Bays have been plagued by excessive algal growth, hurricanes, and human impacts. However, one recent success in the reproduction and establishment of viable eelgrass beds has occurred in Indian River Inlet, where oceaninfluenced water quality is sufficient to support growth.

A preliminary assessment of water-quality data, completed in 1999 for the Inland Bays Basin, confirmed a decline in water quality. The study characterized the existing water quality conditions of the basin and identified potential problems. These problems include excessive nutrient levels, declining trends of some key water-quality indicators such as dissolved oxygen, and frequent violations of waterquality standards.

Delaware will continue to focus on point source and nonpoint source pollution problems such as urban and agricultural runoff, erosion and sedimentation, and ground-water contamination. The Department has adopted Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) regulations for nitrogen and phosphorus for Indian River, Indian River Bay, and Rehoboth Bay, which set watershed-wide pollution reduction targets. Pollution control strategies are being developed to help reach these targets. Additional research and assessment efforts will be necessary to better understand how this complex aquatic system responds to certain pollutants.