We, the citizens on Delaware's Tributary Action Teams, have to develop ways to improve water quality in our rivers and bays --- partly in response to a federal lawsuit, but also because we want to protect these valuable resources for our recreational and commercial use, and for future generations.

A 1997 federal court case required Delaware to set pollution limits for its waterways. These limits are called "Total Maximum Daily Loads" or TMDLs, a term you will hear a lot in water pollution discussions. In order to meet these new pollution limits, we are developing ways to reduce water pollution.

Usually, citizens don't get involved in this process until after government agencies develop pollution-control strategies --- and this can lead to opposition to the proposals. But Delaware is taking a new course with the Tributary Team process --- by getting citizens involved in sorting out the difficult issues, wrestling with the trade-offs and developing ways to reduce pollution, we hope the strategies will have greater support in the communities they affect. The Tributary Team concept, introduced in Delaware by the Center for the Inland Bays, is an exciting opportunity for you to make a big difference in the health of the environment.

We need your help as we develop Pollution Control Strategies for our watersheds. We will have assistance from the Whole Basin Management Program of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, but we need to hear from you first.

To learn more about your Tributary Action team, and how you can help, click on the name of your watershed in the list above left, or click on your location on the map to the left.