Chesapeake Bay Basin

The Chesapeake Bay Basin contains the  Bohemia Creek ,  Broad Creek ,  C & D Canal West ,  Chester River ,  Choptank River ,  Deep Creek ,  Elk Creek ,  Gravelly Branch ,  Gum Branch ,  Marshyhope Creek ,  Nanticoke River ,  Perch Creek,   Pocomoke River ,  Sassafras River , and  Wicomico  watersheds.

• Size: 1,803.7 square miles
• Size (DE only): 702.0 square miles
• 2019 U.S. Census Bureau Population: 326,345
• 2019 U.S. Census Bureau Population (DE only): 116,275
• States: DE, PA and MD
• Counties: DE: New Castle, Kent, Sussex | PA: Chester | MD: Cecil, Kent, Caroline, Wicomico

Land Cover: The pie charts below show the percent land cover for the entire Chesapeake Bay Basin and the Delaware portion of the basin respectively.

More than 90% of Delaware's Waterways are considered impaired. "Impaired waters" are severely polluted waters that do not meet water quality standards. The state's list of impaired waters, filed with the Environmental Protection Agency, includes bodies of water that suffer from 11 different impairments, the most common of which are pathogens (disease-causing bacteria and viruses) and nutrients.

Pollutants in Delaware waters are often chemicals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer runoff. They can come from specific "point" sources, such as sewage treatment plants, or from "nonpoint" sources, like runoff from lawns, farms, parking lots, and golf courses. Most impairments come from nonpoint sources of pollution, which are difficult to control because you can't see exactly where they originate.

The nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay come from agricultural runoff, urban runoff, and municipal and industrial point source discharges. Poultry is the primary agricultural product in Delaware, and within Sussex Country, the Indian River, Nanticoke River, and Broad Creek watersheds are the main poultry producers.

In addition to agriculture, septic systems also contribute high amounts of nutrients to the Chesapeake Bay. Raw or inadequately treated sewage is a severe contributor to the declining health of the Chesapeake Bay. This sewage contains pathogens, which are disease-causing bacteria and viruses. The potential daily pathogen output from one person's untreated sewage can equal that of treated sewage from hundreds to even thousands of people, depending on the level of treatment.

Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife conducts on-going inventories of natural communities as well as rare and declining species, (e.g., state and globally-rare plants, birds, insects, mussels, reptiles, and amphibians). It maintains a database, both electronic and manual, of its findings throughout the state. To find out more information on the wildlife and plant communities in the Chesapeake Bay Basin, visit the DNREC's  Conservation Programs page .

Delaware has more than 1,600 species of native plants. More than a quarter of them are rare and can be found in more than 100 different terrestrial and wetland habitat types.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife, working with the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration - Water Resources Center, maintains online databases about plants and plant communities in Delaware. To find out more, visit DNREC's Conservation Programs  Plants and Plant Communities page .

Delaware's Chesapeake Bay Basin contains a variety of habitat types that provide homes to diverse flora and fauna. The northernmost forests usually contain a mixture of hardwoods, dominated mostly by oaks, beech, tulip poplar, and hickories on the drier sites. The predominant tree species in wetland habitats include box elder, sycamore, sweet gum, slippery elm, red maple, tulip poplar, ash, pin oak, and sometimes river birch and black willow. The oldest trees in Delaware reside in this basin, reaching ages estimated to be around 500 years old!

The streams and rivers that drain into the Chesapeake Bay support many species of fish harvested for both food and profit. Substantial commercial fishing efforts take place in the Nanticoke River, with American shad, blueback herring, alewife, white catfish, channel catfish, striped bass, and white perch representing the highest percentage of the catch. It is recommended that before fishing, individuals contact the Division of Fish and Wildlife for the most up-to-date information regarding fishing advisories for the Chesapeake Bay. Many of Delaware's residents and visitors depend on water for their recreation enjoyment.

Fishing, swimming, and boating are popular activities throughout Delaware. Delaware's portion of the Chesapeake Bay Basin includes publicly-owned ponds and lakes that serve recreational needs. The health of Delaware's waters will affect the recreation potential of these ponds and streams. Delaware's wildlife represents a vital recreational resource base as well. Both hunting and birding depend on the health of the state's natural resource.

Documentation

•  Whole Basin Environmental Assessment 
•  U.S. EPAs Chesapeake Bay TMDL documents 
•  DE's Chesapeake Watershed Implementation Plan 

Partners

•  Delaware Nature Society 
•  Chesapeake Bay Foundation 
•  Chesapeake Bay Program 
•  Chester Riverkeeper 
•  Nanticoke Watershed Alliance