Water Resources Management

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This collection provides technical assistance for state and local governments, elected officials, citizens, and students on water resources management and includes research reports, proceedings, journal articles, professional papers, water resources policy papers, and water resources–related planning information. Visit the IPA website for more information.

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    Economic Value of the Maryland Coastal Bays Watershed
    (Water Resources Center, 2018-05-23) Kauffman, Gerald J.; Young, Jillian; Martin, Jordan; Homsey, Andrew R.
    The water, natural resources, and ecosystems in the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed contribute an economic value of $1 to $3 billion annually to the regional Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia economy. This report examines that economic value in three different ways: 1. Economic value directly related to the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed water resources and habitats. The Maryland Coastal Bays watershed contributes over $1.2 billion in annual economic activity from water quality, water supply, fish/wildlife, recreation, agriculture, forests, and public parks benefits. By state, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia contribute $200 million, $700 million, and $300 million, respectively, to the Coastal Bays watershed annual economy. 2. Value of goods and services provided by the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed ecosystems. Using natural capital as a measure of value, habitats in the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed provide $3 billion annually in ecosystem goods and services in 2017 dollars, with a net present value (NPV) of $97 billion calculated over a 100-year period. By state, the ecosystem services value of the watershed is $248 million in Sussex County, Delaware; $1.9 billion in Worcester County, Maryland; and $807 million in Accomack County, Virginia. 3. Employment related to the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed resources and habitats. Using employment as a measure of value, natural resources within the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed directly and indirectly supports over 50,000 jobs with over $1.5 billion in annual wages. The purpose of these estimates is to demonstrate that the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed provides real and significant economic benefits to the regional economy in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia and are worthy of investment to keep these natural resources healthy and productive. Estimates were made by taking values from existing literature and studies and applying them to the Maryland Coastal Bays watershed using ecological economics and benefits-transfer techniques described in this report. Values are converted to 2017 dollars based on the change in the Northeast Region Consumer Price Index except where noted.
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    Shad in Schools Christina Basin Program Report 2010-2012
    (2014-05-23) Corrozi Narvaez, Martha; Lucas, Tim
    The intent of this report is to summarize the program and commitment to implement the Shad in Schools program in the Christina Basin. This program is part of the broader education efforts to educate students and the public on the shad restoration efforts in the White Clay and Brandywine Creeks. The Shad in Schools program provides an experiential learning opportunity to students in the Christina Basin watersheds. It brings fish and their habitat into the classroom and serves to teach students about important environmental concepts related to water quality, ecosystems, biology, chemistry, and many others. In addition, this program incorporates history, art, public speaking, and other non-science disciplines.
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    Economic Value of the Barnegat Bay Watershed
    (2012-11-21) Kauffman, Gerald J.; Cruz-Ortiz, Catherine
    This report summarizes the economic value of water, natural resources, and ecosystems in the Barnegat Bay watershed in Ocean County and Monmouth County, N.J., estimated as: 1. Economic activity including market and non-market value of water quality, water supply, fish/wildlife, recreation, agriculture, forests, and public parks benefits. 2. Ecosystem goods and services (natural capital) value provided by habitat such as wetlands, beaches, open water, forests, and farms. 3. Jobs and wages directly and indirectly associated with the Barnegat Bay watershed. These estimates demonstrate that the Barnegat Bay watershed provides significant economic benefits to the regional economy and are worthy of investment to keep them healthy and productive. Value-transfer techniques were applied by selecting data from published literature and applying them to the Barnegat Bay watershed using ecological economics techniques.
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    NPDES and Education on Stormwater Pollution
    (2012-06-27) Corrozi Narvaez, Martha; Homsey, Andrew
    Controlling and managing stormwater that runs off roadways―impervious surfaces―into the state’s surface waters are a major part of DelDOT’s responsibilities. As authorized under the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) controls water pollution by regulating stormwater that discharges directly into surface waters. New Castle County, DelDOT, and six municipalities—Bellefonte, Delaware City, the Town of Elsmere, the City of Middletown, the City of New Castle, and the City of Wilmington—are Phase I co-permittees for the discharge of stormwater from and through all portions of the municipal separate storm-sewer system (MS4) in New Castle County as authorized under the NPDES and the laws of the State of Delaware. In order to meet the requirements of the NPDES permit, the co-permittees (named above) must meet specific education and outreach requirements outlined in the NPDES permit. This report provides guidance for DelDOT and the co-permittees for achieving the education and outreach requirements of the NPDES permit. It intends to make the education and outreach efforts more effective and meaningful for New Castle County, DelDOT and the six municipalities regulated under the permit.
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    Economic Benefits and Jobs Provided by Delaware Watersheds
    (2012-01-31) Corrozi Narvaez, Martha; Kauffman, Gerald
    The water, natural resources, and ecosystems contained in Delaware’s watersheds are an economic engine for the state. These resources provide tremendous economic value to the state and the surrounding region. This report examines that value in three distinct ways: • Economic value directly related to Delaware’s water resources and habitats—Using economic activity as a measure of value, Delaware watersheds contribute over $6 billion in annual economic activity from water quality, flood control, water supply, fishing and wildlife viewing, recreation, agriculture, ports, forests, and parks. • Value of the goods and services provided by Delaware’s ecosystems—Using ecosystem goods and services as a measure of value, the ecosystems of Delaware provide $6.7 billion annually in goods and services in 2010 dollars, with a net present value of $216.6 billion calculated over a 100-year period. • Employment related to Delaware’s water resources and habitats—Using employment as a measure of value, Delaware’s water resources and habitat directly and indirectly support over 70,000 jobs with over $2 billion in wages annually. This does not include the thousands or, perhaps, millions of jobs in companies and industries that rely on Delaware’s waters for their industrial and commercial processes.
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    Economic Value of the Delaware Estuary Watershed - Comprehensive Report
    (2011-06-29) Kauffman, Gerald J.
    What do Boeing, Sunoco, Campbell’s Soup, DuPont, Wawa, Starbucks, Iron Hill Brewery, the Philadelphia Eagles, Salem Nuclear Power Plant, and the United States Navy have in common? They all depend on the waters of the Delaware Estuary to sustain their business. The natural resources of the Delaware Estuary watershed provide tremendous economic value to our region. This report examines that value in three distinct ways: • Economic value directly related to the Delaware Estuary’s water resources and habitats. Using economic activity as a measure of value, the Delaware Estuary contributes over $10 billion in annual economic activity from recreation, water quality and supply, hunting and fishing, forests, agriculture and parks. • Value of the goods and services provided by the Delaware Estuary’s ecosystems. Using ecosystem goods and services as a measure of value, the ecosystems of the Delaware Estuary provide $12 billion annually in goods and services in 2010 dollars, with a net present value of $392 billion calculated over a 100-year period. • Employment related to the Delaware Estuary’s water resources and habitats. Using employment as a measure of value, the Delaware Estuary directly and indirectly supports over 500,000 jobs with over $10 billion in wages annually. This does not include the thousands or even millions of jobs in companies and industries that rely on waters of the Delaware Estuary for their industrial and commercial processes.
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    Economic Value of the Delaware Estuary Watershed - Summary Document
    (2011-06-29) Kauffman, Gerald; Homsey, Andrew; Chatterson, Sarah; McVey, Erin; Mack, Stacey
    What do Boeing, Sunoco, Campbell’s Soup, DuPont, Wawa, Starbucks, Iron Hill Brewery, the Philadelphia Eagles, Salem Nuclear Power Plant, and the United States Navy have in common? They all depend on the waters of the Delaware Estuary to sustain their business. The natural resources of the Delaware Estuary watershed provide tremendous economic value to our region. This report examines that value in three distinct ways: • Economic value directly related to the Delaware Estuary’s water resources and habitats: Using economic activity as a measure of value, the Delaware Estuary contributes over $10 billion in annual economic activity from recreation, water quality and supply, hunting and fishing, forests, agriculture and parks. • Value of the goods and services provided by the Delaware Estuary’s ecosystems: Using ecosystem goods and services as a measure of value, the ecosystems of the Delaware Estuary (such as wetlands, forests, farms, and water) provide $12 billion annually in goods and services in 2010 dollars, with a net present value of $392 billion calculated over a 100-year period. • Employment related to the Delaware Estuary’s water resources and habitats: Using employment as a measure of value, the Delaware Estuary directly and indirectly supports over 500,000 jobs with over $10 billion in wages annually. This does not include the thousands or even millions of jobs in companies and industries that rely on waters of the Delaware Estuary for their industrial and commercial processes.
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    Socioeconomic Value of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in Delaware
    (2011-06-29) Kauffman, Gerald
    The Chesapeake Bay watershed in Delaware (1) contributes over $2 billion in annual economic activity from benefits associated with water quality, water supply, ecotourism, recreation, agriculture, forest, open space, and navigation, (2) provides annual ecosystem value of natural goods and services of $3.4 billion (in 2010 dollars) with a net present value (NPV) of $109.6 billion over a perpetual lifetime, and (3) is directly/indirectly responsible for 47,000 jobs with $1.2 billion in annual salaries.
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    Christina Basin Trends, 1995-2010
    (2010-12-22) Kauffman, Gerald; Homsey, Andrew; Corrozi Narvaez, Martha; Chatterson, Sarah; McVey, Erin; Mack, Stacey
    This report summarizes trends in the Christina Basin from 1995-2010 for (1) population, (2) land use, (3) water quality, (4) population/water quality vs. land use, (5) water temperature, and (6) streamflow. The Christina River Basin, the second largest tributary to the Delaware Estuary, lies in Chester County, Pa., and New Castle County, Del., with a small sliver in Cecil County, Md. The Christina Basin has unique interstate coordination challenges, as it is the only watershed in the entire Delaware Basin that includes more than one state. Since 1994, Delaware, Pennsylvania, the EPA, and the Delaware River Basin Commission have been working together to restore the Brandywine, Red Clay, and White Clay Creeks and Christina River to fishable, swimmable, and potable status (as per the Federal Clean Water Act) and state surface-water quality standards through a phased watershed-restoration approach.
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    Restoration of Shad and Anadromous Fish to the White Clay Creek National Wild and Scenic River: A Feasibility Report
    (2010-12-22) Corrozi Narvaez, Martha; Kauffman, Gerald J.; Lonsdorf, Robert; Nelson, Maureen H.S.
    The long-term goal of the White Clay Creek watershed project is to restore shad and migratoryfish passage and habitat, increase spawning areas, and benefit the resident fish in the 107-sq.-mi. watershed. To achieve this, WRA conducted a feasibility study for restoring fish passage to the federally designated National Wild and Scenic White Clay Creek. This project is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and is one of 17 projects being undertaken by a number of regional organizations that are striving to improve the environment of the Delaware Estuary— the tidal portion of the Delaware River.
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    Quantifying Load Reductions of Selected Pollutant Parameters Through the Use of Stormwater Best Management Practices in the Delaware Portion of the Christina Basin
    (2009-08-25T17:35:49Z) Homsey, Andrew R.; Corrozi Narvaez, Martha; Farris, Erika D.; Nelson, Maureen H.S.
    At the request of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the Water Resources Agency (WRA), a unit of the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration, developed a process to quantify load reductions achieved through stormwater-control structures (best management practices, or BMPs) for selected pollutant parameters in the Delaware portion of the Christina Basin. This report summarizes the scope of the project and outlines the methodology, analysis, and implications.
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    Water Supply: The History of Newark's Life Source
    (2009-08-19T18:06:04Z) Kauffman, Gerald J.
    Access to water supplies was important to the city’s forefathers. Newark was founded before the American Revolution as a crossroads village due to its fortuitous location at the head of navigation between the banks of the White Clay and Christina Creeks. The rolling Piedmont creeks in and around Newark provided accessible hydropower for dozens of mills and industries during the 18th and 19th centuries. As the city’s thirsty population quadrupled during the second half of the 20th century, new wells were drilled in Coastal Plain aquifers, and the long search for a new reservoir was underway. With the completion of the Newark Reservoir in 2006, the first major reservoir built in Delaware since the Great Depression, Newark’s is the only water system in the First State that has the flexibility to provide drinking water from groundwater and surfacewater sources.
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    Synthesis of Water Rates in Delaware and Contiguous States
    (2009-08-18T20:24:11Z) Corrozi Narvaez, Martha; Nelson, Maureen H.S.
    The University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration’s Water Resources Agency (WRA) conducted an inventory of water rates for public and investor-owned water utilities within Delaware and its bordering states—Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. This report summarizes and compares the residential water rates for these four states and is intended to serve water purveyors, the public, and federal, state, and local decision-makers. This report is an update of the original water-rate inventory prepared in September 1996 and later reports—Economic Synthesis of Water Rates in Delaware and Surrounding River Basins (August 21, 2000) and Synthesis of Water Rates in Delaware and Contiguous States (July 2004).
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    White Clay Creek State of the Watershed Report: A Report Card on the Health of the White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic River Watershed in Delaware and Pennsylvania
    (2009-01-20T18:39:56Z) Corrozi, Martha; Homsey, Andrew; Kauffman, Gerald; Farris, Erika; Seymour, Maureen
    The White Clay Creek watershed is rich in natural resources and history and provides numerous benefits to people. However, increasing suburbanization and legacy pollutants threaten to degrade the ecological landscape of the White Clay Creek. The University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration’s Water Resources Agency has reviewed 21 environmental indicators to assess the state of the White Clay Creek watershed. These indicators are divided into four major categories: landscape, hydrology, water quality, and habitat.
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    Technical Summary: State of the Delaware Basin Report
    (2009-01-16T20:01:56Z) Kauffman, Gerald; Belden, Andrew; Homsey, Andrew
    For many environmental indicators, the health of the Delaware River Basin has improved or at least remained stable in many watersheds, even in the face of an industrial legacy, increased land development, a growing population, and rising thirst for water supplies.This report defines environmental indicators for the State of the Delaware River Basin project. Indicator data were collected by a collaboration among the Delaware River Basin Commission, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), U.S. Geological Survey, and a consortium of the four land-grant universities that represent the states in the basin—Cornell University, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, and University of Delaware.
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    Christina Basin Pollution Control Strategy: A Watershed-based Strategy to Implement Total Maximum Daily Loads in the Brandywine, Red Clay, and White Clay Creeks, and Christina River in Delaware
    (2008-07-10T15:51:16Z) Christina Basin Tributary Action Team; Corrozi, Martha; Kauffman, Gerald; Micheva, Angelina; Zechiel, Melissa
    The Pollution Control Strategy (PCS) includes narrative on the unique characteristics of the basin, the resources that make the basin valuable, the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) set for the basin, and the Christina Basin Tributary Action Team process. The most significant component of this document are the 40 recommendations grouped by the following categories: stormwater, open space, wastewater, agriculture, and education. These recommendations were developed through a collaborative effort by the Christina Basin Tributary Action Team. The PCS also includes a chapter on the monitoring stations located throughout the Delaware portion of the basin and the water quality parameters tested at these stations. This chapter discusses the importance of water quality monitoring upon implementation of the PCS. The final chapter in the PCS quantifies the economic benefits of the Christina Basin and provides an estimate of the cost of implementing the recommendations set forth in the PCS. This chapter provides quantifiable evidence that improving the water quality in the Christina Basin makes economic sense.
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    Southern New Castle County Priority Watershed Strategy
    (2006-09-01T18:45:16Z) Homsey, Andrew; Kauffman, Gerald; Schnick, Lori
    This report provides a recommended priority watershed strategy for the streams in southern New Castle County, Delaware. This strategy is designed to be consistent with the (1) total maximum daily loads (TMDL) issued for the Appoquinimink River watershed by the USEPA and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), (2) proposed revisions to the environmental protection articles of the New Castle County Unified Development Code (UDC), and (3) the 5-year New Castle County Comprehensive Plan Update currently underway. The priority watershed strategy concludes that the resource protection level (RPL) standards of the New Castle County UDC are adequate to protect water resources and natural resources in southern New Castle County at full build-out with current zoning in effect. The contiguous chain of watersheds lining the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, the Delaware Bay coast, and the Blackbird forest and wetland complex with low impervious cover and large amounts of forest, wetland and riparian buffers create an emerald ring around the rapidly growing towns of Middletown, Odessa, and Townsend (MOT) in southern New Castle County. These green watersheds should be protected from over-development by acquiring more open space and conservation easements, thus creating an unbroken ring of conservation open space-a green belt-around the periphery of the MOT village core.
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    Water-Friendly Landscape Design: A Prescription for Healthy Watersheds
    (2006-05-31T18:37:16Z) Corrozi, Martha; Sims, Tom
    This policy forum, the fifth in a series that examines statewide water policy issues, was designed to explore current practices that incorporate water-friendly landscape design into a variety of settings, including the public realm, university campuses, and residential yards. Over 100 attendees heard the speakers discuss a variety of techniques that can be incorporated into the landscape to encourage nonpoint source pollution reduction in order to increase the health of our watersheds.
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    Proceedings of Water Policy Forum Series No. 4 - The Historic Christina Basin: Delaware's First Watershed
    (2004-10-13T13:23:43Z) Corrozi, Martha
    This policy forum, the fourth in a series that examines statewide water policy issues, was designed to explore past, present, and future issues in the watershed that is the largest source of drinking water supply in the state of Delaware – the Christina Basin. Over 200 attendees heard the speakers discuss a list of firsts attributable to the Christina Basin. The Christina Basin is the home of the first permanent European settlement in 1638 at the mouth of the Christinakill, now the present day location of the City of Wilmington. The only Revolutionary War battle in Delaware was fought at Cooch’s Bridge along the banks of the Christina River near Newark. The basin is an interstate watershed, the only one in Delaware, where the streams flow through three states. It is the home of the only six trout streams in Delaware as well as home to Wyeth and Winterthur and DuPont. The Brandywine Valley Association (BVA), formed in the late 1940s, was the first small watershed association in the United States. Accordingly, the Christina Basin holds a very special status for our small state.
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    Final Report: Governor's Water Supply Task Force
    (Institute for Public Administration, 1999-12) Kauffman, Gerald J.; Wollaston, Martin; Talley, John; Lovell, Stewart; Headd, Mark