How Much Water is Available

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates water use by state, source of water, and category of use every 5 years. The withdrawals for Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia are available in the tables below. In 2010, 1,472 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of freshwater were withdrawn from surface water and groundwater sources in Maryland, 300 Mgal/d in Delaware, and 0.10 Mgal/d in the...

The Bucks Branch sub watershed in the Nanticoke River basin has been identified as having one of the highest concentrations of nitrate in surface water of all sites sampled in Delaware. Changes in water quality related to changes in agricultural conservation practices will be seen first in shallow groundwater as groundwater is the major source of nitrate in surface water. Very little research is...