White Clay Creek above Newark Source Water Assessment Plan
Date
2019-12-07
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Abstract
This report is designed to identify potential sources of contamination in the 69-square mile White Clay Creek watershed in Delaware and Pennsylvania upstream from the City of Newark drinking water intake. Primary contaminants of concern include: (1) high levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers and leaking septic systems that cause harmful algal blooms (HAB), (2) excessive bacteria from manure that deems the waters unswimmable and unpotable, and (3) elevated sediment loads from eroding topsoil and stream banks. The location and extent of potential contaminant sources are identified by examining stream water quality data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, states of Delaware and Pennsylvania, and student research assistants and through land use/land cover mapping compiled by the GIS laboratory of University of Delaware Water Resources Center. Once the spatial extent of the potential contaminant sources is identified, investments in upstream best management practices (BMPs) can be programmed by the City of Newark in collaboration with Federal, State, and nonprofit sources of funding. The objectives of this report are to identify potential sources of contamination to the City of Newark water supply system in the upstream White Clay Creek watershed through analysis of:
- Population, land use, and agriculture trends
- Monitoring of salinity, pathogens, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment.
- Stream bank and farm sediment fingerprinting