New Castle County

RI78 Subsurface Geology of the Area Between Wrangle Hill and Delaware City, Delaware

The geology and hydrology of the area between Wrangle Hill and Delaware City, Delaware, have been the focus of numerous studies since the 1950s because of the importance of the local groundwater supply and the potential environmental impact of industrial activity. In this report, 490 boreholes from six decades of drilling provide dense coverage, allowing detailed characterization of the subsurface geologic framework that controls groundwater occurrence and flow.

Highest point in Delaware

For many years, there has been a question in the minds of some Delawareans as to whether Delaware's highest elevation is Centreville or on Ebright Road. The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) at the University of Delaware, through its relationship to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has determined that the highest monumented spot in Delaware is located on Ebright Road, near the Pennsylvania state line. Ebright Road is north of Namaans Road, east of route 202.

Monitoring our water - Delaware Geological Survey improving groundwater monitoring efforts with new wells, sampling

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Delaware Geological Survey improving groundwater monitoring efforts with new wells, sampling. Scientists are digging for answers about the amount and quality of water available underground in central Delaware, where ongoing development will put increasing demands on water supplies in the coming decade.

The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) is installing 7,700 feet of wells at eight sites in southern New Castle and northern Kent counties to improve groundwater-monitoring efforts, supported by a $600,000 grant from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water south of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and populations there are projected to continue expanding.

Delaware Groundwater Monitoring Network

The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) currently monitors groundwater levels in a network of wells in Delaware. Long, time-series of water levels in major aquifers serve as critical baseline data for resource management and analyses of aquifer response to pumping, climatic variability, drought hazards, seawater intrusion, and interaction with streams and their ecosystems.

DGS issues report on groundwater modeling in southern New Castle County

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The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) released a new technical report entitled Simulation of Groundwater Flow in Southern New Castle County, Delaware, which was prepared by Changming He and A. Scott Andres of the DGS.

DGS Report of Investigations No. 77 is a preliminary step in developing a detailed understanding of the subsurface hydrology and evaluating groundwater availability in major aquifer systems beneath southern New Castle County and parts of northern Kent County, which are expected to have greater demands for groundwater in the next 20 years due to population growth.

RI77 Simulation of Groundwater Flow in Southern New Castle County, Delaware

To understand the effects of projected increased demands on groundwater for water supply, a finite-difference, steady-state, groundwater flow model was used to simulate groundwater flow in the Coastal Plain sediments of southern New Castle County, Delaware. The model simulated flow in the Columbia (water table), Rancocas, Mt. Laurel, combined Magothy/Potomac A, Potomac B, and Potomac C aquifers, and intervening confining beds.

DNREC raises capital request - Sixfold hike includes beach, water projects

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More money would go to projects that make Delaware cleaner, greener and safer under a mostly no-growth budget outlined Monday by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Agency Secretary Collin P. O'Mara asked the Office of Management and Budget for about $35.2 million in general funds for the fiscal year that begins July 1, with health care costs accounting for most of the nearly $2 million increase from the current year.

The Delaware Water Conditions Summary

The Water Conditions Summary is an online monthly summary of water conditions in Delaware. Principal factors in determining water conditions are precipitation, streamflow, and groundwater levels in aquifers. Data from rain gages, stream gages, and observation wells located throughout Delaware have been collected and compiled since the 1960s by the Delaware Geological Survey. These data are displayed as hydrographs and are also available for download. In general, water is abundant in Delaware, but supply is restricted by natural geologic conditions in some areas, by contamination in others, and is dependent on precipitation.