The Murderkill Tributary Action Team recently asked the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission to consider the Murderkill Watershed for "critical area" designation in support of efforts to improve the watershed's water quality.  After review of this request, the Commission officially designated the watershed as a critical area on September 9, 2003.

The team, a group of concerned citizens and state and local government representatives, is tasked with recommending a Pollution Control Strategy to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for achieving nutrient load reductions throughout the watershed.  Critical area designation targets the Murderkill Watershed for voluntary and regulatory actions and makes it a priority for the Nutrient Management Commission.  The designation makes the watershed eligible for Section 319 (Clean Water Act) grant funds from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Murderkill River is impaired due to elevated nutrient levels and low dissolved oxygen, in combination with other pollutants and stressors.   There are several contributors to the high nutrient levels in the watershed, including failing septic systems, agriculture and stormwater runoff.

Agriculture is an integral contributor to the economy and the culture of the area, with more than 38,000 acres of highly productive farmland within the watershed. Many acres are available to apply Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce nutrient loadings into the watershed.  Cost-share funds are currently available in the watershed for nutrient management planning through the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission, for cover crops through the Kent Conservation District, and through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) for various programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).  Bill Rohrer, the Commission’s Program Administrator commends the joint efforts to improve the environment. “Agriculture is one of many sources of nutrient pollution and farmers are responsible by way of nutrient management," he says.  "The Murderkill Watershed will be a priority for nutrient management planning and the relocation of excess poultry litter.”

The critical area designation will also improve public awareness of water quality issues and the state of the Murderkill Watershed as well as help to prioritize BMPs.  Jim Newton, Kent County Department of Public Works and Murderkill Tributary Action Team member, feels the designation will “give the Tributary Team the opportunity to pursue grants to educate the public on how nutrients affect the Murderkill watershed and what they can do to reduce impacts.”

For further information on the critical area designation, contact Bill Rohrer, Delaware Nutrient Management Commission Administrator, 302.698.4500. For more information about the Murderkill Tributary Action Team, contact Kathy Bunting-Howarth, 302.739.4590.