Reducing Nonpoint Pollution from Stormwater Runoff: The UD WATER Project UD West Campus II
Date
2009
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Abstract
The University of Delaware’s WATER (Watershed Action Team for Ecological Restoration) Team is undertaking a project to
develop a watershed management plan for the Cool Run Tributary of the White Clay Creek. The proposed plan will be used to
improve the quality and reduce the quantity of storm water runoff entering the creek. Six undergraduate interns worked
together with a team of faculty and professionals to develop this plan using the “A through I” watershed management
approach of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The watershed of Cool Run tributary of the White Clay Creek (a wild and scenic river) is located on the UD campus. Divided
into six sections, the watershed contains urban areas, above the railroad tracks, and agricultural areas, below the railroad
tracks. The lower west fork (CW2), and the focal point of this study, contains the majority of the UD farm. This area is of
particular interest since it is mainly used for the teaching, research, and extension programs of the UD College of Agriculture
and Natural Resources (CANR) yet feels the effects of urban storm water runoff. At its northern edge the creek receives runoff
from the main campus which has urban land use and large areas of impervious surfaces while at its southern end the creek
predominantly drains the College of Agriculture’s dairy farms and forested areas. Focusing on this section of the watershed,
the goal of this project was to minimize nonpoint source pollution from the cropland and farmsteads, as well as develop new
best management practices to protect and improve water quality on the UD Newark farm.