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EPA LAUDS DELAWARE AS LEADER IN PROTECTING GROUNDWATER

Release Date: 1/28/1999
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith (215) 814-5543

PHILADELPHIA - Delaware is the first mid-Atlantic state to adopt a comprehensive watershed approach to protecting groundwater.  In a letter today, EPA Regional Administrator W. Michael McCabe applauded Governor Thomas Carper for Delaware’s high level of commitment to comprehensive ground water protection.

"It is imperative that we protect and conserve ground water.  Water is too precious to waste or pollute.  Delaware’s unified approach to protecting its underground water supplies will help ensure healthy water for future generations," said McCabe.

Four out of five Delawareans brush their teeth and drink coffee made with underground water everyday.  In the more populated areas north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, nearly half of the people rely on drinking water from sources beneath the ground.  In areas south of the Canal, virtually all of the drinking water is supplied from underground sources.  

"Delaware has long recognized the importance of its ground water resources to the health of our citizens, the environment and the economy of the state.  EPA’s endorsement acknowledges Delaware’s long-standing effort toward coordinating and unifying our ground water protection programs," said Sergio Huerta, M.D., Director of the Division of Water Resources, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.  

Groundwater needs a lot of protecting -- from sewage, gasoline, chicken manure and a host of other pollutants.  In the not-so-distant past, groundwater was considered an endless natural resource just waiting to be tapped.  But urban sprawl and the growth of  factory farms have led to a more comprehensive approach to protecting groundwater.

Delaware is leading the way by organizing its efforts around individual watersheds, rather than around the bureaus and departments of state regulatory agencies, as was done in the past.  This involves coordinating all groundwater-related activities and programs, and includes a sophisticated system to monitor and assess groundwater data, as well as public education tools.


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