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| Vol. 18, No. 38 | Aug. 5, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 38 | Aug. 5, 1999 |
Martin Wollaston (left) and Gerald Kauffman conduct a water test along the White Clay Creek.
Water quantity and water quality affect everyone and are crucial to Delaware's environmental well-being. UD's Water Resources Agency is a key player in assessing and planning for the area's water needs, according to manager Bernard Dworsky.
Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, WRA was under the New Castle County and state of Delaware umbrella until last year, when it became a part of UD's Institute for Public Administration in the College of Human Resources, Education and Public Policy
Joining the University was a natural fit, Dworsky said. "Our mission is research and education. At UD, we can team up with other disciplines involved in water issues, such as agriculture, marine studies, engineering, geology and geography. We also can provide hands-on internships for students and opportunities for graduate students. Next fall, we will offer a course on Regional Watershed Management."
The agency assesses and plans for the area's water needs and monitors water quality. Serving the state, county and the cities of Wilmington and Newark, the agency receives funding from them, as well as federal grants.
"We provide water resources assistance for Delaware and the Delaware Valley, but our role is advisory not regulatory," Martin Wollaston, senior planner for WRA, said. "Since many of our water resources originate in Pennsylvania and Maryland, we work with other states and have a good relationship with them."
Additionally, the agency is involved with the Christina Basin Water Quality Management Strategy program to improve the water quality of the Brandywine, Red Clay, White Clay creeks and the Christina River.
Recently, the agency was honored by its work with the Christina Basin by a Certificate of Environmental Achievement in the Freshwater/ Watersheds category by Renew America, a coalition of environmental organizations, and it will be listed in its Environmental Success Index. Engineer Gerald Kauffman, coordinator of this program, said the interstate, cooperative watershed effort by Delaware and Pennsylvania is designed to improve the water quality of the streams that provide drinking water for more than a half million people in the two states.
WRA is assisting the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in establishing a Source Water Assessment and Protection Program, with input and support from a citizen and technical advisory committee. SWAP involves mapping water supplies on a computer Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify and inventory sources of possible contamination, such as hazardous waste sites, so that these can be remedied, Kauffman said.
"Thanks to GIS, we can usually pinpoint any unusual problems with the water supply along the rivers and streams," Dworsky said. "Pollution has decreased along the rivers, and when something does occur, it's usually accidental, or can be caused by natural events."
One of the agency's concerns is land use and assessing the impact of new development on the water supply. Working with Newark and New Castle County, WRA has helped establish Water Resource Protection Area ordinances that establish land management measures to protect ground and surface water supplies.
Currently, the agency is taking part in a stream watch and riparian corridor program within the Christina River Basin. Staff members are walking along the banks of the streams in the Christina basin, gathering and documenting information about such things as discharge pipes, stream channel conditions and water quality.
"One of our goals is planting forests and buffer zones along the streams and creeks to protect them and to cleanse stormwater," Dworsky said.
Kauffman pointed out the importance of water resources to Delaware's past and present. Historically, the streams and rivers of northern Delaware were essential factors in the early settlement and industrial development of the region. Southern Delaware, strictly speaking an island thanks to the C & D canal, is dependent on the quantity and quality of its ground water, he said.
"Guarding our water supply is even more important today for our economic growth and overall quality of life," Kauffman said.
For more information, call 831-4929; send e-mail to <bdworsky @udel.edu>, <martinw@udel.edu> or <jerryk@udel.edu>; or visit the agency's web site at <www.wr. udel.edu>. 
-Sue Moncure
