The Christina
Basin -- An Ongoing Success Story
The Importance of the Christina
River Basin
The Christina River Basin drains
portions of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and includes the Christina
River (which eventually flows into the Delaware River in Wilmington, Del.),
Brandywine Creek, White Clay Creek, and Red Clay Creek. The Christina Basin
provides water to over 500,000 people, including
75% of the water supply for New Castle County, Del. and more than 40% of the
water supply for residents in Chester County, Pa. In addition, Brandywine Creek
is the source of Wilmington's drinking water.
The watershed also provides important wildlife habitat, is a place of natural
beauty and recreational opportunities for many to enjoy, and contains the White
Clay Creek, a National Wild and Scenic River.
But, with rapid growth occurring, in part from the cities of Wilmington and
Philadelphia, the Christina Basin has experienced water quality concerns including
nutrient pollution and the presence of toxic substances.
Positive Steps Forward
Some of the initiatives paving the
way toward a bright future for the Christina Basin include:
A Strong Partnership
for Progress:
- The Christina Basin Clean Water
Partnership, begun in 1995 as the Christina River Basin Water Quality Management
Committee, is a cooperative partnership among multiple levels of government,
along with private groups and the academic community. It develops a coordinated,
scientific approach to improving water quality and meeting the water needs
of the region. The sharing of federal funds, across state lines, between Pennsylvania
and Delaware is just one example of this cooperation.
Cleaning Up Our
Act -- Basinwide Water Quality Improvement Strategies:
- In order to ensure that the streams
of the Christina Basin meet their water quality standards, a broad partnership,
including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological
Survey, is developing the tools and strategies needed to take on the challenging
issues of nutrient pollution (nitrogen and phosphorus), low dissolved oxygen,
bacteria, and excessive sediment from a variety of point and nonpoint sources.
Going
Right to the Source --The Implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs):
- Agricultural BMPs that have been
installed in the watershed, as a result of the Christina project, include
approximately 15,000 feet of protected stream corridors, 12 farm nutrient
management plans, five barnyard runoff control projects, and five systems
to exclude livestock from streams.
- Residents are making use of over
200 rain barrels that have been purchased and distributed in the basin, capturing
and using roof runoff that could otherwise contribute to excessive storm water.
- A "Smartyards" program
in Delaware assists homeowners with ecologically beneficial landscaping practices
on their properties, such as using native plantings.
- The Brandywine Valley Association,
in coordination with the University of Delaware's Water Resources Agency,
Chester County Water Resources Authority and Chester County Conservation District,
conducts a watershed tour annually to demonstrate the use of Best Management
Practices.
Much work still needs
to be done!
To learn more about
this ongoing interstate project, please visit these web sites:
University of Delaware
Water Resources Agency
http://www.wr.udel.edu/publicservice/chbasin.html
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region III
http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/christina/index.htm
Download
Christina River Basin Map
(694 KB; free Adobe Reader required)

Members
of the Christina Basin Clean Water Partnership include Brandywine Valley/Red
Clay Valley Associations, Chester County Conservation District, Chester
County Health Department, Chester County Planning Commission, Chester
County Water Resources Authority, Delaware Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control, Delaware Nature Society, Delaware River Basin
Commission, New Castle Conservation District, New Castle County, Pennsylvania
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural
Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region III, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. National Park Service, and
the University of Delaware Water Resources Agency.
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P.O. BOX 7360, West Trenton,
NJ 08628-0360
Voice (609) 883-9500
FAX
(609) 883-9522
clarke.rupert@drbc.state.nj.us