Sussex County is facing a critical decision about the proposed Atlantic Fields retail development on Route 24. This 73.5-acre project will replace farmland with 40 acres of impervious surfaces.
According to the proposed findings and conditions document filed on behalf of the developer to the planning & zoning land-use application, “the entire site is cleared farmland which has been in use for agricultural purposes for over a century.” Let's not gloss over that statement. We really don't know all the environmental impacts of changing this much farmland that was in use for over 100 years for agriculture to a dense commercial use.
Analysis shows that even a modest 1-inch rainfall will produce over half a million gallons of runoff, compared to nearly zero from farmland today. While the developer proposes underground chambers and surface basins for mitigation, these measures primarily detain water – they do not eliminate the increased volume or pollutants entering the adjoining aquifers. During heavy storms or tidal backwater events, overflows are likely.
The developer’s plan to use a mix of surface basins and underground vaults will reduce short-term flooding risk if sized correctly. However, underground vaults rarely remove pollutants or recharge groundwater, and in Sussex County’s high-water-table soils, they are often used only for detention. Unless the plan includes clear infiltration testing, effective pretreatment devices, overflow routing for tidal/backwater events and a binding long-term maintenance program, the project will still substantially increase runoff volume.
In addition to the above, the extensive impervious surfaces will create a heat island effect that warms air and stormwater. Asphalt and building roofs absorb and store heat; surface temperatures can reach 120 to 150 degrees on sunny summer days. Combined with impervious runoff, this contributes to a stormwater thermal shock effect, where cooler streams warmed by hot runoff can stress fish and invertebrates.
Residents deserve full disclosure: how these stormwater systems will perform during extreme storms, how water quality will be protected and how long-term maintenance will be ensured. Farmland today absorbs rainfall, filters nutrients and keeps local streams healthy. This project replaces natural infiltration with a mix of asphalt and rooftops, fundamentally altering the watershed.
I urge planners and regulators to carefully weigh these impacts before any approvals. Our environment depends on thoughtful, science-based management, not assumptions that basins and vaults alone will protect our waters.
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