Neighbors of a proposed subdivision along Prettyman Road near Harbeson are concerned about possible groundwater contamination by the chemical tricholroethylene, or TCE, a solvent used for degreasing metal parts.

However, an attorney for the developer said there is no known contamination on the site of the proposed community.

At its Jan. 12 meeting, the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission heard plans for Wynford Preserve, cluster subdivision with 100 single-family home lots on 50.5 acres along Prettyman Road northwest of the Route 9 intersection.

Commission Chair Bob Wheatley recused himself from the hearing. After the hearing, the commission deferred a vote to a future meeting.

Contamination plume

The area around the proposed subdivision is part of an active Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control groundwater contamination investigation.

Makenzie Peet, an attorney representing developer Insight Homes, said the contamination was discovered on the Homestead Campground property and a new well was dug to provide drinking water to the site. “There is no active testing on this property and they have not found any contamination,” she said.

Peet said the developer would work with DNREC regarding any required dewatering during construction. The community would not have individual wells; homes would be connected to a central water system.

Senior engineer Jamie Sechler of Davis, Bowen and Friedel said the contamination plume is in a deep aquifer, and an irrigation well on the property does not reach that depth. He said DNREC would continue to monitor the plume.

“It sounds like DNREC is working on it,” said Commissioner Kim Hoey Stevenson.

“If it was a bigger concern for DNREC, then why did they stop testing?” asked Commissioner Holly Wingate.

Assistant county attorney Vince Robertson said there would be more concern if the proposed subdivision would not be served with central water and sewer service.

Plans for subdivision

Peet said the developer has met with nearby residents and has proposed conditions of approval agreed to by the neighbors, including a 40-foot landscaped buffer along the entire eastern boundary of the property, and a 3- to 5-foot berm planted with vegetation.

Plans for the proposed subdivision's superior design standards include a pool and bathhouse, sidewalks on both sides of all interior streets, central sewer and water, connection to a multimodal path on Prettyman Road, nearly 25 acres of open space and a minimum 30-foot buffer along the remaining perimeter of the property.

Interconnection to the adjoining Hawthorne subdivision, another Insight Homes development, is proposed.

Besides road-frontage improvements, the developer would be required to contribute funds to the Henlopen Transportation Improvement District at $5,166 to $5,424 per lot, and also contribute an equitable share contribution to a proposed realignment of the Prettyman Road-Route 9 intersection.

Request to delay decision

Nearby resident Dave Hall made a lengthy presentation to the commission regarding the contamination.

“DNREC has found TCE on the south side of Route 9 and the east side of Route 30,” he said, adding the contamination plume has been migrating.

“DNREC has not completed their investigation and plans to study the west side of Route 30 this spring,” he added.

Hall asked commissioners to delay their decision, to ensure the welfare and safety of everyone in the area. He said DNREC has not tested over the past five years and four monitoring wells are not functional. He said a decision should be delayed to give DNREC more time to institute testing once again.

“We really need to know where the plume is. What impact has other development had? We want to see this development done as long as everyone is safe,” he said. “Our concern is that TCE might be getting out of the ground and that the aquifer is changing.”

Peet said there is an existing irrigation well on the site that will handle all irrigation needs in the proposed community, so a new well will not be needed.

Hall said residents are concerned that increased development and more irrigation wells could force the plume to rise closer to the surface. He said the plume is 1.5 to 2 miles wide.

Hall said the contamination was discovered in 2005 in a Homestead Campground well at 425 particles per billion. “The EPA says anything about 5 parts is unhealthy,” he said. “At some point, a huge amount of TCE was spilled on the ground.”
The source of the contamination has not been discovered.

Hall said testing using groundwater monitoring wells was conducted from 2012 to 2017, but no testing has occurred over the past five years. He said the contamination gets into the aquifers and can be anywhere from 40 to 100 feet deep.

Agreement with developer

John Lingo, who owns property adjacent to the proposed project, said residents met with Insight Homes representatives and their subcontractors Sept. 13 and agreed to several conditions, including downward-direction street lighting, a 50-foot buffer and a 100-foot long berm to shield nearby homes, and that the screening measures be completed before construction would begin.

“I don't see this level of detail in the proposed conditions,” he said.

He said it's common for developers to change site plans after other agencies review projects. Lingo said that adjacent property owners should be informed if changes are proposed to reduce the screening aspect of the buffer.

He presented the agreement reached with the developer to the commission to enter into the public record.