USFWS seeks to clean up area next to Milton sportsman’s club

U.S. Fish & Wildlife has submitted an application to the state related to removing lead shot from an area of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge next to the Broadkiln Sportsman’s Club outside Milton.

The proposed activity is subject to review under Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Coastal Management Program. The Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy issued a public notice April 17.

Raquel Wetzell of USFWS’s Chesapeake Bay Field Office submitted the application. The project involves limited clearing, in-situ treatment and excavation of lead-impacted surface soils and sediments at depths of 6 to 18 inches, off-site disposal of treated materials, and restoration of disturbed areas with clean backfill and native seed, she said.

Wetzell also included a narrative description of the project that was prepared for the application. Included in the description is the reason for the project – lead from spent shot has leached into shallow groundwater and downgradient surface waters due to local hydrogeologic conditions. The primary objective of the removal action is to reduce lead loading to groundwater and surface water over the long term.

The site comprises about 5.5 acres of upland forest and forested wetland along a slough that slowly drains northward to Prime Hook Creek within the Broadkill River watershed.

No new industrial development or intensive coastal use is proposed as part of this federal action.

Grading and backfilling will return the site to approximately preexisting contours based on preconstruction surveying, avoiding increases in flood elevations or adverse changes in drainage patterns.

Trees with diameter at breast height greater than 10 inches will be flagged and evaluated for preservation prior to construction. Clearing will be limited to the minimum area necessary for safe access and excavation.

This is the second time a government agency has conducted a lead-removal project in the area of the Broadkiln Sportsman’s Club, which operated as a shooting club from the early 1960s to the late 1990s. DNREC is currently finishing a similar project on about 13 acres of land that abuts the wildlife refuge.

Impacted soils have been excavated, and the site is currently being leveled, graded and seeded to establish vegetation to stabilize the surface soils, said Michael Globetti, DNREC spokesperson. Remaining work includes submission of a remedial action completion report and recording an environmental covenant restricting property use and groundwater withdrawal, he said.

DNREC Remediation Section has no plans for additional lead-removal projects in the area at this time, nor has DNREC any knowledge of future plans for the project as a whole, said Globetti.

Comments concerning the new application will be accepted through Thursday, May 7.

Comments may be sent to: DNREC Coastal Programs, Jesse Hayden, administrator, 100 W. Water St., Suite 7B, Dover, DE 19904, or electronically to DNREC_DCP_PublicComment@delaware.gov. For submission materials and additional information, go to de.gov/dnrecnotices or call 302-739-9283.