Welcome,
Delaware's water resources are a key to a healthy and productive future for our families, communities, and businesses. We all depend on a clean and abundant water supply for drinking water; activities such as swimming, boating, and fishing; agricultural production, manufacturing, and tourism, and much, much more. While DNREC's Division of Water Resources has some core responsibilities to protect the state's water resources, we all share in this tremendous responsibility to sustain and protect our state's ground waters and surface waters. Like you, we take these responsibilities very seriously and are committed to working with people from throughout Delaware to fulfill them in a practical and cost effective way.
You are cordially invited to explore the Division's Programs, Permits, Licenses, Regulations, Forms, Publications, Financial Assistance, and all the other offerings shown. Join us in a partnership for "Clean Water for Today and Tomorrow" by sharing your questions, comments, and concerns with us. If you are not sure where to start, please turn to our Ombudsman for help.
On behalf of the entire staff, thanks for dropping by.
Katherine E. Bunting-Howarth, J.D., Ph.D.
Acting Director
At A Glance
The Division of Water Resources manages and protects water resources through various regulatory programs by providing technical assistance, laboratory services, and educational services; performing applied research; and helping finance water pollution control measures. Our staff serves over 15,000 individual water resources customers each year and protects water resources for Delaware's visitors and residents.
The Division consists of seven sections; each is sized to promote efficient operations:
Division Management Section (Katherine E. Bunting-Howarth, Acting Director) - coordinates Division operations and provides centralized information management, fiscal, personnel, and legal services. The section also administers the water utility certification program and provides a link with external programs including the Delaware Estuary Program, Inland Bays Estuary Program, Delaware River Basin Commission, Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission, Delaware Authority on Radiation Protection, and Delaware Emergency Management Agency. The Financial Assistance Branch (Terence L. Martin, Acting Administrator) provides planning, engineering, and technical assistance for wastewater systems and financial aide to help reduce water pollution. Other staff members provide education/information services, centralized computer and geographic information system services, and better access to the Division through a Community Liaison.
Environmental Laboratory Section (Sergio Huerta M.D., Manager) - operates a full-service environmental laboratory to test and assess water, air, soil, hazardous materials, and biological samples. Water quality and biological monitoring of surface waters is an important section function. Fee-for service quality environmental testing is provided to a variety of customers in a cost-effective manner. The Section performs basic water quality testing for Delaware citizens at no charge.
Surface Water Discharges Section (R. Peder Hansen, P.E., Manager) - issues permits for industrial and municipal wastewater treatment systems (including storm water) and sludge management. Technical assistance is provided directly to wastewater treatment facilities to help address operational problems. The Section also provides support to the Board of Certification that licenses wastewater treatment plant operators.
Ground Water Discharges Section (Dave J. Schepens, Manager) - conducts site reviews, field checks and approves site evaluations for the installation of septic systems, underground injection wells, spray irrigation wastewater systems, and other systems associated with wastewater treatment. This section also issues sludge transport permits and licenses to septic system designers, percolation testers, site evaluators, and system installers.
Water Supply Section (Stewart Lovell, P.G., Manager) - issues well and water allocation permits and licenses to well contractors/drillers and pump contractors/installers. Section responsibilities also include statewide drought management, ground water quality monitoring, wellhead and source water protection programs, and water withdrawal quantities in coordination with the Delaware River Basin Commission.
Watershed Assessment Section (John W. Schneider, Manager) - monitors the health of the State's aquatic resources and protects the health of swimmers and shellfish consumers. The section provides technical support for programs within the Department; performs soils evaluations, develops water quality monitoring strategies and modeling, and watershed basin evaluations; and works to integrate wetlands and watershed management.
Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Section (Laura M. Herr, Manager) - provides permitting services for activities that affect subaqueous lands, tidal wetlands, and marinas. Tidal maps of wetlands and planning for the resource management of these natural resources are also provided.
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© 2005 Delaware Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Division of Water Resources
89 Kings Hwy
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 739-9950
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