Christina Basin

1
Christina Basin
Clean Water Partnership 2004
The mission To conduct a
cooperative, interstate effort to protect and
improve the water quality of streams, waterways,
and groundwater in the Brandywine, Red Clay,
White Clay Creeks, and Christina River watersheds
of Delaware, Maryland, and
Pennsylvania.
Brandywine Creek at Wilmington
White Clay Creek above Newark - Trout Farm
Hoopes Reservoir
The Watershed
Groundwater well
The Christina Basin
Existing Uses


Occupies 565 square miles


Is home to 0.5 million people


Is a diverse, suburbanizing watershed that has
lost 15
of open land to development since 1970
Agriculture Chester County, PA
Includes 4 major watersheds
2
Brandywine Creek (325 mi
)
2
Red Clay Creek (54 mi
)
2
White Clay Creek (107 mi
)
2
Christina River (78 mi
)


Is multi-jurisdictional
-
3 States (DE, MD, PA)
-
5 Counties (Delaware, Chester, Lancaster, PA
New Castle, DE Cecil, MD)
Amish Farming
Winterthur Gardens
-
Over 60 municipalities
Pollution Potential
State
Basin Area
Percent
1995
2
(mi
)
Area
Population
DE
157
28
310,638
MD
8
1
8039
PA
400
71
181,079
Total
565
100
499,751
Low


Provides 75 of the water supply for New Castle
Medium
County, DE and 40 for Chester County, PA.


Encompasses unique economic, historic,
Wilmington Brandywine Creek water-supply intake
recreational, and environmental qualities.
High
Potential Pollution
Impaired Stream Segments
Impaired Stream Segments
Brandywine Battlefield Revolutionary War
Newark White Clay Creek water-supply intake
Turtle
Port of Wilmington largest banana importer
Check the Web
Check the following web sites for more
information Christina Basin University of
Delaware,Water Resources Agency (www.wr.udel.edu)
Delaware DNREC Whole Basin Program
(www.dnrec.state.de.us) Delaware River Basin
Commission (www.state.nj.us/drbc) Chester
County Water Resources Authority
(www.chesco.org) Pennsylvania DEP
(www.state.pa.us) US Environmental Protection
Agency (www.epa.gov/owow) US Geological Survey
(www.usgs.gov) Delaware Geological Survey
(www.udel.edu/dgs) Local Watershed Associations
Brandywine Conservancy (www.brandywineconservancy.
org) Brandywine Valley Association
(www.bva.rcva.org) Christina Conservancy
Delaware Nature Society (www.delawarenaturesociety
.org) Red Clay Valley Association
(www.bva.rcva.org) White Clay Watershed
Association (www.ccil.org/wcwa/index.html)
Wilmington River - City Steering Committee
Using the maps provided, locate
your school, home, or nearest town of interest.
In which watershed is it located? What
activities depend on the water resources
of your watershed? Identify the types of
pollutant sources in your watershed and
the water quality or supply impacts you would
expect to see .
Pollution Solutions Based on the Restoration
Action Strategy illustrated on the reverse, what
types of Best Management Practices would you
recommend to address the problems in your
sub-basin identified above? Repeat with other
locations throughout the Christina Basin. Notice
differences in problems and management techniques
based on various land use activities. Watershed
Pledge Contact your local watershed association
(see Additional Information) and volunteer to
participate in a scheduled event or project, or
participate in the Stream Watch Program. Write a
letter to your local officials telling them what
actions you think they should be taking to
protecting your watershed, and attend a public
hearing on a related issue. Watershed
Walkabout Identify the waterways nearest to
your home. Next time it rains, and with the help
of an adult, see how far you can trace the
runoff from your street. Using a detailed map,
what stream does it flow into? How many
different rivers must it travel before reaching
Delaware Bay? Who is down stream from you, and
how is the land used along the way?
Activities
Yard to Stream Do your part in your own backyard
to help protect our water quality. Here are
three simple actions you can do 1. Cut back
on water use, water lawns less frequently, take
shorter showers. 2. Plant trees and native
shrubs, and reduce lawn fertilizer use. 3.
Recycle waste oil and chemicals. Do not dump
materials into storm drains.
Fly Fisherman
Poster prepared by Anne Kitchell, MaryJane
Middelkoop, Nigel Bradly, Graduate Research
Assistants and Gerald Kauffman, Project Advisor,
University of Delaware, Institute for Public
Administration, Water Resources Agency, (302)
831-4929, www.wr.udel.edu. DGS Annex, Newark, DE,
2004.
2
Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS)
Christina Basin
The Christina Basin Watershed Restoration Action
Strategy is designed to address water quality
problems identified over several years of study
through a six-point implementation and funding
plan. Strategies utilizing protective or
restorative Best Management Practices have been
assigned to the basins subwatersheds depending
on existing levels of impervious cover, forested
land, and stream water quality.
Report Card
Indicators Since 1970
After several years of watershed management, a
report card can be issued on the health of the
Christina Basin. The results are mixed but there
is positive news to report regarding watershed
protection initiatives.
Residential streams
High levels of Impervious surface.
Urbanization in the floodplain
University of Delaware, Institute for Public
Administration, Water Resources Agency Feb. 18,
1999

• The Christina Basin Water Quality
  Management Committee is currently
  crafting a Watershed Restoration
  Action Strategy (WRAS ) which is designed to
  address water quality problems through a
  six-point implementation and funding plan
• Watershed Coordination
• Monitoring and Modeling
• Public Education/ Outreach and Involvement
• The WRAS map to the left depicts three distinct
  types of subwatersheds within the Christina
  Basin, and each of these has a different
  management strategy
• 1. Preservation/protection subwatersheds(green
  areas on the map) The relatively undeveloped
  green watersheds have generally healthy water
  quality due to low amounts of impervious surfaces
  and contaminant sources, and high overall amounts
  of forested and open spaces. The strategy for
  these areas is to keep the green watersheds
  green and maintain existing high water quality.
• 2. Urban/Suburban subwatersheds (purple areas on
  the map) Urbanized with larger amounts of
  impervious surfaces and contaminant sources, and
  low amounts of forested lands. Water quality is
  these developed watersheds is generally impaired.
  The strategy here is to restore the brown
  watersheds and improve water quality.
• 3. Agricultural/Restoration Watersheds (brown
  areas on the map) Largely rural with high
  percentages of agricultural land primarily in the
  Pennsylvania portion of the Christina Basin. The
  strategy here is to restore these subwatersheds
  utilizing agricultural conservation BMPs from
  state, federal, and local funding sources.

Action Strategy
Water Quality

• Urban/ Suburban BMPs
• Rural and Agricultural BMPs
• Conservation, Riparian and Non-Structural BMPs.

The Top 10 strategies to protect the Christina
Basin are
Restoration Watersheds 1. Clean-up Superfund and
Hazardous Waste Sites 2. Remediate LUSTs 3.
Abate CSOs 4. Continue Riverfront Development
Efforts 5. Administer Master Gardner Program 6.
Expand Storm Drain Stenciling Program 7. Restore
Riparian Corridors 8. Require Stormwater
Retrofitting 9. Implement Agricultural
Conservation BMPs 10. Expand Public
Education/Outreach Programs
Protection/Preservation Watersheds 1. Acquire
Open Space 2. Retain Conservation
Easements 3. Minimize Impervious Cover 4.
Amend Stormwater Ordinance 5. Remediate
LUSTs 6. Implement Agricultural Conservation
BMPs 7. Implement Piedmont Whole Basin
Program 8. Coordinate w/ Nonprofit Watershed
Organizations 9. Administer Master Gardner
Program 10. Expand Public Education/Outreach
Programs
BAD
Best Management Practices
Stormwater Pond
Riparian stream inventory
GOOD
The Future
Before
Reducing the amount of impervious surface helps
to increase groundwater recharge and reduces the
volume of stormwater runoff. One technique is to
retrofit cul-de-sacs with grassy centers.
Riparian buffers along streams filter runoff of
pollutants and help reduce erosion. Here is an
example of a typical agricultural or residential
stream system without a vegetative buffer (bad)
and a stream with a healthy forested buffer
(good).
Stream bank stabilization Increased erosion due
to increases in stormwater levels and removal of
shoreline vegetation
After
Poster prepared by Anne Kitchell, MaryJane
Middelkoop, Nigel Bradly, Graduate Research
Assistants, and Gerald Kauffman, Project Advisor,
University of Delaware, Institute for Public
Administration, Water Resources Agency, (302)
831-4929, www.wr.udel.edu. DGS Annex, Newark, DE,
2004.