Hunt at Louviers Stormwater Basin Retrofits, Newark, Delaware
Volunteers installing small perennials in the stormwater basin after regrading of existing soil (April 2013).
The City of Newark in partnership with the White Clay Wild and Scenic Program was awarded a Community Water Quality Improvement Grant from the Delaware Clean Water Advisory Council to perform three stormwater basin retrofits in the City of Newark. The project was selected in an effort to provide water quality benefits in an impaired segment of the watershed. These basins were originally designed for the management of stormwater quantity, not water quality. The basin retrofits will help improve water quality in Jenney's Run, a tributary to the White Clay Creek, and also serve as native habitat restoration. Project partners included the White Clay Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, North Creek Nurseries, Duffield Associates, and CGC Geoservices.
The basins were regraded in early April to elongate the flow path of water and culminated with two volunteer planting events on April 26 and 27, 2013. Approximately 100 volunteers helped plant native plugs (small, deep-rooted plants), which help with water infiltration, and water quality improvement by utilizing common stormwater pollutants such as excess nutrients for plant growth. Ongoing maintenance will involve the removal of invasive species to help establish native plantings.
Community volunteers included Bank of America, Dupont's Clear into the Future program, several University of Delaware student groups, New Castle County Master Gardeners, Pennoni Associates, Wilmington Trail Spinners, The Delaware Nature Conservancy, and the PA Master Naturalist program.
For more information about Newark's NPDES Stormwater program visit www.cityofnewarkde.us/NPDESstormwaterprogram.