Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

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🌟 2024 DNREC Recognition Day SECC Fall Fest Recap 🌟 A couple of weeks ago, we had a fantastic time at our annual fall event which was hosted at White Clay Creek Park! It was a day to honor our dedicated employees, enjoy great company, and a little friendly competition, all while supporting the State Employees' Charitable Campaign (SECC). We celebrated our amazing employee of the year, Amy Mann from our Division of Air Quality and our team of the year winners, the Hazardous Waste Special Tasks: Tara Grazier and John Murdaugh, from our Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances. The Solar Sprint Tournament was a blast, with divisions competing for the fastest car and best design. It may have taken a couple tries for some teams, but we got the cars going with some teamwork! Our Division of Watershed Stewardship took home the prize for the fastest car, and the best car design went to our Division of Parks and Recreation with a carved wooden solar sprint car! In addition to the recognition events, we also enjoyed several SECC fundraiser activities. There was a chili cook-off, a cornhole tournament, and a costume contest. A big thank you to everyone who participated, donated, and made this event memorable. We raised more than one thousand dollars! Special shout out to the staff at White Clay Creek State Park for hosting the event!

⚠️ Governor John Carney has declared a statewide drought watch due to ongoing dry conditions. We’re asking Delawareans to voluntarily reduce nonessential water use. Limit lawn watering and use non-drinkable water on lawns and turf fields when possible. ⚠️ ¡Alerta de vigilancia por sequía! El Gobernador John Carney ha declarado una vigilancia por sequía para todo el estado debido a las condiciones de tiempo seco actuales. Solicitamos a los habitantes de Delaware que voluntariamente reduzcan el uso no esencial de agua, que limiten el riego y que usen agua no potable para regar jardines y césped cuando sea posible. https://lnkd.in/e4TwS2ZJ ⚠️ Atansyon, Gen yon Siveyans Kontini Sechrès! Gouvènè John Carney deklare yon siveyans kontini sechrès nan tout eta a poutèt kondisyon yo rete sèch. N ap mande moun Delaware yo pou yo volontèman redui itilizasyon dlo ki pa esansyèl. Wouze pelouz yo mwens epi sèvi avèk dlo ki pa potab sou pelouz yo ak sou teren ki kouvri ak gazon yo lè sa posib. https://lnkd.in/ePXSBCqX Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ei9xvHyM

We're hiring! Join our team as a public affairs assistant. The Public Affairs team executes a comprehensive marketing communication strategy to advance the Department's mission to protect Delaware's Environment for current and future generations. The administrative specialist manages office support activities to relieve the Chief Communication Officer and a team of 10 other professionals of day-to-day tasks. The professional keeps the office running smoothly, manages schedules, maintains the budget, fields constituent inquiries, prepares presentations and reports, staffs events and supports marketing efforts. Apply now through October 31: https://lnkd.in/ecs8DJAW

We're hiring! Join our Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances as an environmental specialist! This position is responsible for auditing and assessing state-owned properties for compliance with the Universal recycling laws. This includes assessing existing levels of recycling in relation to the total waste stream generated. This position will also assist in developing marketing and educational materials and provide recommendations to recycling regulations. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ddiYZexN

Delaware was proud to join regional partners last week in celebrating a $249 million federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, which will support the deployment of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle charging infrastructure. With $12 million designated for Delaware, this project will fund one charging location with 25 chargers. DNREC contributed a central role in the development of Delaware’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan and in coordinating with other state and federal partners. The plan builds on the Climate Action Plan to reduce air pollution and advance environmental justice for communities disproportionately impacted by vehicle emissions.

Since 1987, we've hosted the Coastal Cleanup, an annual litter pick-up event. This year, on Sept. 14, we saw more than 1,000 volunteers participate at about 45 sites across the state. Delaware’s event is based off an international cleanup effort started by Ocean Conservancy in 1986. Since its inception, more than 18 million volunteers have cleaned up in excess of 190,000 tons of trash around the globe. Locally, the 2024 volunteers covered all 59 miles of the state’s beaches, with much of the attention going to Sussex County — no surprise given so much of the coast there consists of award-winning beaches. The volunteers represented a wide variety of ages and came from school clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, environmental groups and more, with many joining of their own volition simply to do their part in keeping nature clean. One of the main pluses of the cleanup, according to organizers, is that record-keeping is an important part of the annual event. That enables DNREC to track exactly how much garbage is collected, which can be used to look for trends, provide insight on policy proposals and even connect directly with manufacturers. When legislators were looking to pass a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2019, DNREC was able to let them know just how many bags had been collected in the most recent Coastal Cleanup, for instance. That ban, by the way, has had a positive impact since taking effect in 2021, with fewer plastic bags being found during the cleanup, according to organizers. We are grateful to everyone who joined us in this year's Coastal Cleanup! To learn more about this year's event, visit our recent Outdoor Delaware article: https://lnkd.in/eqRFWyJj de.gov/coastalcleanup

We recently spoke with Bill McAvoy, who has been DNREC’s foremost plant expert for 33 years about Delaware’s battle against invasive species threatening native wildlife. The exact number of invasive species in Delaware is unknown, but according to state botanist Bill McAvoy, the state has 798 non-native plant species, of which 175 — about 11% of all flora here — are invasive. "Non-native invasive species are so aggressive in their growth habits that they outcompete and displace native vegetation. They overtop, cast shade, and reduce available soil space for native species,” said McAvoy. “In time, native plant populations slowly contract and decline to the point where they die out. You multiply that with overbrowsing by deer and native species really struggle to hold on. Deer don’t eat non-native species, simply because they don’t recognize them, or they have a disagreeable taste. There is a cascading effect when native plant species decline. Native pollinators and other invertebrates, as well as mammals, birds, reptiles, etc., that depend on these species for food and nesting, also decline.” Learn more on our latest Outdoor Delaware article: https://lnkd.in/epfvDkts

We released findings today from a comprehensive study on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in surface waters across Delaware. The study, conducted in the fall of 2022, involved the collection and analysis of 83 surface water samples from 33 watersheds throughout the state. The study summarizes and presents analytical results used to evaluate existing concentrations of PFAS and prioritize future actions to address areas of the state most impacted by what have become known as “forever chemicals.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ed99mTAA El Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Control Ambiental (Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, DNREC) publicó hoy los hallazgos de su estudio integral sobre las sustancias perfluoroalquiladas y polifluoroalquiladas (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS) en las aguas superficiales de Delaware. El estudio, realizado en el otoño de 2022, incluyó la recolección y análisis de 83 muestras de aguas superficiales de 33 cuencas hidrográficas en todo el estado. El estudio resume y presenta los resultados analíticos utilizados para evaluar las concentraciones existentes de PFAS y priorizar acciones futuras para abordar las áreas del estado más afectadas por lo que se ha llegado a conocer como "químicos persistentes". Más información: https://lnkd.in/eXhSG_96 Depatman Resous Natirèl ak Kontwòl Anviwònmantal la te pibliye dekouvèt yo jodia ki soti nan etid global DNREC a sou PFAS (sibstans pè ak polifliyowoalkile) nan dlo sifas nan Delaware. Etid la, reyalize nan otòn 2022, te enplike koleksyon ak analiz 83 echantiyon dlo sifas nan 33 basen vèsan atravè eta a. Etid la rezime ak prezante rezilta analitik itilize pou evalye konsantrasyon PFAS ekzistan epi priyorize aksyon fiti pou adrese zòn nan eta a ki plis afekte pa sa yo te vin konnen sou non "pwodwi chimik etènèl." Aprann plis: https://lnkd.in/eAGK5Hxu

Two of our hydrologists, John Cargill IV and Todd A. Keyser, P.G., addressed the issue per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals" in our state, just published in Daily State News/BaytoBayNews.com: https://lnkd.in/efkht8Sg