What's Been Going on in the
Appoquinimink Watershed?

A progress report from the
Appoquinimink Tributary Action Team

Pollution Control Strategy

We're currently working on revising our recommended Pollution Control Strategy (PCS).  While these revisions can take any form, they will likely be based on the response from DNREC provided at our October 1, 2003 meeting and the watershed coordinator’s work since July 2003.

The EPA held a public meeting for the draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Appoquinimink River on November 10, 2003 at Brickmill Elementary School in Middletown.  You can read more about this important meeting in our Draft Appoquinimink River TMDL article.

Projects

Weather Channel

Look for the Team’s message on the “weather crawl” during local weather forecasts on the Weather Channel, which air in southern New Castle County below the canal to approximately 8,000 households. The message reads:

Help the Appoquinimink River and our watersheds. Pump out your septic tank every three years, learn when to fertilize your lawn to prevent fertilizers from entering streams, plant native trees and shrubs, buy live Christmas trees locally and replant them. Call 312-9034 to get involved.

The message will run from November 24 to January 4. If you have any comments, please let Cortney Worrall know!

Establishing a Non-Profit and Direction

In order to take advantage of future funding opportunities and to provide better direction and prioritization of the strategy recommendations, the Team will meet for a workshop on December 10, 2003 at 6:30 pm at Saint Anne's School.  The workshop will be used to develop general guiding principles and a rough mission statement for the start-up of a nonprofit organization.  Most importantly this time will give the Team an opportunity to discuss an overall philosophy and direction that will help guide projects over the next several months.

Communications

Cortney Worrall met with Bill Rohrer, Administrator for the Nutrient Management Commission (NMC) at the end of October to discuss some of the Team’s pollution control recommendations.  In the PCS, the Team requested DNREC to ensure that the State “continue to responsibly fund nutrient management planning and implementation.” According to Mr. Rohrer the state has met the Commission’s funding requests and funding is not an issue currently nor as he see it, in the near term.

The Team recommended a requirement

”...that a stick-on label be placed on all bags of fertilizers sold in the watershed. The label should contain a warning in large letters that the overuse or improper use of fertilizers and pesticides harms our ground and surface waters.  The label should be printed in English and Spanish.  The label should state that fertilizer should not be applied when rain is expected and it should supply reasoning to support the warning.”

The technology subcommittee of the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission is in favor of this recommendation and is interested in receiving exact details of what the sticker would say and look like, including ideas and recommendations for its distribution and acceptance by retailers.   After the Team submits this information to the Technology Subcommittee, the subcommittee will review the next steps for formal approval and implementation.

Middletown

Cortney Worrall met with Catherine Kelly, Councilwoman for Middletown at the end of October to introduce her to the Team.  She is interested in the Team's work, and may attend a future meeting.  Middletown Mayor, Kenny Branner, has expressed interest in donating land for a demonstration project on alternative landscaping and low impact landscaping at gateways to new developments.   The Mayor has also indicated he would be happy to have the Team put up a small display in the town offices and brochures about alternative landscaping that residents can take when they come to pay their bills.  There is some interest in working with developers to protect or improve riparian buffers, as well.

Tributary Team Members

Cortney has been busy meeting one on one with many of the Appoquinimink Tributary Team members, learning about their goals and ideas.   She feels this has been a very successful and helpful endeavor.   If you are an Appoquinimink Tributary Action Team member and have not had an opportunity to meet with Cortney, please contact her.  She'll be more than happy to meet with you!

Volunteers Needed

We'd like your help in protecting water quality in the Appoquinimink watershed. In particular, the Team needs more representation from Middletown and Townsend residents and from members of the business, agricultural and development communities.  If you know anyone who has an interest in environmental issues, civic or community issues, and/or economic growth, please make a point of inviting them and encouraging them to attend one of our meetings.  And, of course, we'd like to see you there, too!  Anyone can contact Cortney Worrall for general information in lieu of attending a meeting.

Volunteers are needed in a wide variety of areas.  Any of the projects in this update could use the help of anyone interested in materials development, outreach, coordination, and project management.   Your comments and feedback in any area are very much welcome, too!

Cortney Worrall is the Appoquinimink Watershed Coordinator. Please direct any comments or questions to Cortney at cworrall@earthlink.net.