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The rapid development of Sussex County has many wondering what the affects will be on the water quality of the Inland Bays.
The loss of forests and the increase in impervious surfaces have been significant since the housing boom started, and they threaten to intensify the delivery of pollutants to the bays.
However, when houses replace crops, it also reduces the amount of fertilizer used in the county. This has been suggested as a solution to the pollution problem in the bays. So how are loads of nitrogen and phosphorus changing as the land use of the watershed transforms?
Representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) will be on hand at the next meeting of the Center for the Inland Bays Science and Technical Advisory Committee Meeting to unveil a new tool that attempts to answer this question.
DNREC’s Nutrient Loading Assessment Protocol is a spreadsheet that can estimate changes in nitrogen and phosphorus loads from development projects. The tool will help developers determine if their project will meet the pollutant reduction requirements of the Pollution Control Strategy.
It will also give the public information, so that they can make informed comments on projects in their area. Staff will be on hand to assist those interested in trying out the protocol and receive feedback on its use.
Ever wonder just how many people are in town during July? The development of a method to estimate the seasonal population of the watershed will also be presented at this meeting. In addition, the Pasture Point restoration project at James Farm on Indian River Bay will be discussed with an emphasis on alternative methods for tidal wetland stabilization.
The meeting will begin at 9 a.m., Friday, July 27, in room 104 of the Cannon Laboratory at the University of Delaware’s College of Marine and Earth Studies in Lewes. For more information, contact Sally Boswell, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Center for the Inland Bays at 302-226-8105.
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