Inland Bays Foundation, Sussex LWV to honor Markell Oct. 16 for clean water initiative
The Inland Bays Foundation and the League of Women Voters of Sussex County have announced that their 2014 Award for Environmental Advocacy will be presented to Gov. Jack Markell in recognition of his Clean Water for Delaware’s Future initiative. Markell will receive the award at a Love Our Inland Bays dinner Thursday, Oct. 16, at Irish Eyes Restaurant in Lewes.
According to Ron Wuslich, president of the Inland Bays Foundation, “The dinner with Governor Markell is an opportunity for all Delawareans who love our Inland Bays to show their support for his clean water initiative.”
Markell and then-Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara proposed the plan in March of this year. Presented as a comprehensive upgrade plan, the proposal promises to protect public health and clean up Delaware’s bays, rivers and streams within a generation, while creating jobs and strengthening Delaware’s economy.
“Clean water is essential for a healthy and prosperous Delaware,” said Markell. “We have made great strides reducing air pollution and cleaning up brownfield sites, yet nearly every waterway in Delaware, other than our beaches, remains unsafe for swimming and fishing and nearly every community is struggling with more frequent flooding and storms.
Clean Water for Delaware’s Future will invest in projects that improve water quality, improve community resiliency, protect our health and safety, support our multi-billion dollar tourism and agriculture industries, bolster the economic revitalization of our cities and towns, and increase property values - all while creating thousands of jobs for years to come."
State records indicate that most of Delaware’s waters do not meet water quality standards for their designated uses, including drinking, swimming and supporting fish and other aquatic life. Delaware’s list of impaired waters includes 377 bodies of water that suffer from excess nutrients, low dissolved oxygen, toxics, and bacteria. Analysis of chemical contaminants in fish has led to advisories that fish are unsafe to eat in more than 30 waterways statewide.
“Partnering with the Inland Bays Foundation is a wonderful opportunity for the League of Women Voters of Sussex County to advance our mission of citizen education as well as to advocate for our positions on natural resources,” said Jane Lord, president of the LWVSC.
The league is a non-partisan organization that takes positions on issues only after extensive study and consensus. On the national level, the league believes that protection and management of natural resources are responsibilities shared by all levels of government. On the state level, the League of Women Voters of Delaware supports Coastal Zone planning which considers the best possible outcome for people, the land, and the coastal environment.
For more information or dinner reservations, go to http://inlandbaysfoundation.org or email sussexlwv@gmail.com.
