Background

The Delaware Water Supply Coordinating Council Act of 2003 authorized the WSCC to: “develop and publish water supply plans for southern New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. These plans shall identify and describe uses, localities or areas where water supply issues exist and identify and describe localities or areas where future water supply issues may occur. These areas and uses should include, but not be limited to Middletown-Odessa-Townsend, Dover and central Kent County, Coastal Sussex County and agricultural irrigation uses. These plans shall contain an estimate of existing and future public and private water supplies and water demands through 2025. Private demands shall take into account, to the maximum extent practicable, all domestic, industrial and irrigation uses”.

On June 24, 2009, the House of the 145th General Assembly passed Senate Bill 72 that: “ … reauthorizes the WSCC plans to develop water supply and demand plans for Kent County and Sussex County through 2030; and (5) extends the existence of the Water Supply Coordinating Council from January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2016”.

In 2008, the water supply plan for southern New Castle County was transmitted as the 9th Report to the Governor and General Assembly Regarding the Progress of the Delaware Water Supply Coordinating Council. The WSCC decided to estimate water supply and demands in Kent and Sussex Counties beginning with a base year of 2010 and then project 20 years out through 2030, instead of 2025.

On May 5, 2009, the WSCC approved a draft outline for the Kent County and Sussex County water supply plan and authorized a subcommittee to prepare a scope of work due by June 30, 2009. The intention is to begin work during the summer of 2009 with a goal to complete the plan by December 2010, a period of 18 months. The plan will be transmitted as the 11th or 12th Report to the Governor and General Assembly Regarding the Progress of the Delaware Water Supply Coordinating Council.

View the full Scope of Work

Maps (large files, 5-10 MB each):

Table of Contents:

Estimates of Water Supply and Demand for Kent County and Sussex County,

Delaware through 2030

ES1. Executive Summary

1. Introduction

1.1. Purpose and Scope

1.2. Role of Delaware Water Supply Coordinating Council

2. Demographics (UDWRA)

2.1. Population

2.2. Housing Units

2.3. Land Use/Zoning

2.4. Comprehensive Plans

3. Hydrogeology (DGS)

3.1. Hydrogeologic framework

4. Water Supply Service Areas (UDWRA)

4.1. Map CPCNs

4.2. Interconnected systems map

5. Groundwater Availability (DGS)

5.1. Groundwater availability

6. Water Quality (DNREC, DPH, UDWRA)

6.1. Existing water quality

6.2. Source water protection

7. Water Supply (DNREC, DGS, DDA, DSGA)

7.1. Existing water supplies

• Public community wells, over 50,000 gpd (Water utilities and Community systems)

• Public non-community systems (Nontransient/transient wells)

• Private individual wells

• Irrigation wells (farms, golf courses, nurseries, wastewater reuse)

• Industry, power plants

8. Water Demand (UDWRA, DGS, DDA, DSGA)

8.1. Existing public water demand

8.2. Irrigation water demand

8.3. Future water demand

8.4. Water supply vs. demand (surplus/deficit)

9. Conclusions/Recommendations

9.1. Conclusions

9.2. Recommendations

10. Report