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January— February, 2003
Volume 2, Issue 1
Welcome
to the second issue of Tributary Times, our online newsletter about
Delaware's Tributary Action Teams and their activities.
We've also got some news items that we'd like you to know about,
and would also like to invite you to join the Team that's working
in your part of the State.
Most
of the items you see on this page are linked to more detailed information,
either on our site or at another Internet resource. Please feel
free to link to those articles, and then come back here to learn
more!
If you
like what you see, why not invite your family, friends, and neighbors
to visit our site and sign up for their own copy? The more we help
build awareness of the condition of our waterways and their challenges,
the sooner we'll be able to make all of Delaware's water as clean
as it can be.
Statewide News
Drought
Ends! Everyone
was aware of the drought during the summer months
of 2002, when Delawareans suffered from days on
end of oppressive heat and precious little rainfall.
Only a few people realize those drought conditions
actually began in early 2001 when the area’s
precipitation deficit began. With the precipitation
we've had through the autumn and the early part
of this winter, though, we seem to be out of danger. Click
here for more...
The
proposed Delaware River dredging project is being discussed ---
Government officials and local advocacy groups continue to examine
the Delaware
River Dredging Project. The deepening of the Delaware River first
became an issue in 1992 after a feasibility report was completed
by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE). The current project, after
modifications from the initial proposal made in 1998, would deepen
the Delaware River shipping channel from a current depth of 40
ft to 45 ft. The project is being discussed throughout the region,
and your input is invited. Click
here for more...
 Save
This Date! --- DNREC's Watershed
Assessment Section will host the First
Annual Delaware Tributary Action Team Conference on
Saturday, March 8, 2003! We invite you to come to
the Virden Center at the University of Delaware
Graduate College
of Marine
Studies in Lewes to learn more about the activities of our
Tributary Action Teams. We're planning to
include a watershed expert who
will discuss general watershed management as well as address
your questions on more specific topics. With
a keynote address from the Center for Watershed
Protection,
you don't want to miss this opportunity to learn
about protecting the watershed where you live. Click
here for more information about this FREE conference,
and don't forget to mark your calendar!
Include
Your Organization's Events in Our Calendar —
If your organization is working on issues that involve water
and watershed quality in Delaware, we would like to invite
you
to include your meetings and events in our calendar. Please
click
here for our convenient event information form.
Appoquinimink
Tributary Action Team
Dove
Nest Branch Storm Water Retrofit — After
learning that the Dove Nest Branch of the Appoquinimink
River was a significant pollution contributor,
the Team's representative from Saint Andrews
School completed a streambed survey with the
school's Environmental Studies class. As
a result of this survey, a public-private partnership
will be retrofitting several structures to reduce
the stream's problems. Click
here for more...
Inland
Bays Tributary Action Team
Highlighting
Jim Elliott — In
order to understand the direction of the Tributary
Action Teams, you have to understand the motivation
of their members. To this end, we're happy to highlight
Jim Elliott’s contribution to the Inland
Bays Team. As
someone who cares about the bays, and works to
make them better and educate the public, Jim has
been a key member of the Team from the beginning. Click
here for more...
Septic
Inspection Program Begins — After
considering the Team's recommendations,
DNREC started the On-Site Wastewater System
Compliance Program in August, 2002. Under
this program, inspection fees and half
of the pumping costs are paid for through
a combination of Federal grants. If
you live in the Inland Bays Watershed and
own a septic system that hasn't been pumped
out in the past two years, you can participate
in this program. Click
here for more...
Murderkill
Tributary Action Team
The
Murderkill Team Teaches with Video — It
is often difficult to think up ways to educate
the public without using a PowerPoint presentation
or an overhead projector. The Murderkill
Team is using its own video to reach more people with the help
of Rob Crimmons and his company. Click
here for more...
Nanticoke
Tributary Action Team
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