; ?>)
Watershed Reports – data making a difference
Delaware is made up of some of the most beautiful watersheds in the mid-Atlantic region, but these are also some of our most threatened resources.
Discover Delaware’s Watersheds
Delaware can be divided into 4 large watersheds:
The Piedmont areas in Northern Delaware, characterized by hills and rocky streams, flows into the Delaware River.
Waterways in western Delaware drain to the Chesapeake Bay, while in eastern Delaware they drain to the Delaware Bay.
Waters in Southeastern Delaware flow to the Inland Bays and the Atlantic Ocean. These larger watersheds are further divided into 45 smaller watersheds.
The Christina Basin Watershed in northern New Castle County contains the Brandywine Creek, Christina River, Red Clay Creek, and White Clay Creek sub-basins. Our dedicated volunteers monitor water quality at thirty locations throughout the basin. Chemical data has been collected at these sites since the end of 1995.
The Mispillion River Watershed contains 73 square miles along the boundary between Kent and Sussex counties where our volunteers have been collecting water quality data since 2003.
Data our Volunteers Have Collected
Volunteers are collecting data in watersheds all over the state, measuring dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, nitrate nitrogen, phosphates, conductivity, and temperature. Streamside Habitat Assessments and Macroinvertebrates and Bacteria are also being collected at certain sites for a more complete picture of the overall health of Delaware’s watersheds.
Volunteer Data Informs Clean Water Actions
Volunteer data are used for environmental education, identifying areas of concern, and tracking how well different techniques (called Best Management Practices or BMPs) implemented to protect and improve the rivers, streams, and bays are working.
StreamWatch Information Sheets
- Everyday habits to help our waters (PDF)
- Macroinvertebrate photos & info (PDF)
- Current macroinvertebrate data (XLS)
- Current riparian habitat data (PDF)
- What we measure (PDF)
Technical Monitor Data Entry
If you are a Technical Monitor, email your data to Kristen Travers, Director of Conservation.
Need help? Contact Kristen »