Delaware
National Assessment of Coastal Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise
The original national coastal vulnerability index (CVI) assessment was motivated by expected accelerated sea-level rise (SLR) and the uncertainty in the response of the coastline to SLR. This research was conducted between 1999 and 2001, and is currently being updated using new data sources and methodology. This original study was part of the ...
Long-Term Coastal Change
Goals of this task include developing and improving coastal-change assessments and supporting long-term planning and decision making to ensure sustainable coastal economies, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards
Research to identify areas that are most vulnerable to coastal change hazards including beach and dune erosion, long-term shoreline change, and sea-level rise.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Science Summary—New digital map documents surficial-aquifer thickness in the Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland and Delaware: Helping to understand the role of groundwater in delivering nitrogen to Chesapeake Bay
Nitrate, the major source of nitrogen in streams of the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay and the wider Delmarva Peninsula, is transported primarily in groundwater through the unconfined surficial aquifer. Understanding the subsurface processes that affect nitrate transport in this area has been hampered by a lack of regional information on the thickness of this aquifer.
Long-Term Response Monitoring of Suspended-Sediment Transport Characteristics on the Patapsco River near Ellicott City, Maryland, in Response to the Removal of Simkins Dam, 2010-present
For over 100 years, the Patapsco River has been impacted by the presence of several dams that were designed and built at the beginning of the 20th century. The objective of the project is to monitor suspended-sediment transport resulting from the removal of Simkins Dam on the lower Patapsco River in November 2010. The role of USGS in the project includes operation and maintenance of 3 stream...
Delaware Agricultural Shallow Groundwater Monitoring Network
Studies in the Delmarva Peninsula have demonstrated that groundwater in shallow unconfined aquifers near agricultural lands is susceptible to contamination from chemicals applied at the land surface.
Observed concentrations of nitrate in shallow groundwater commonly exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 mg/L on the peninsula. Groundwater...
Enhanced hydrologic and geomorphic monitoring in Ten Mile Creek, Montgomery County, Maryland
Ten Mile Creek is a small, predominantly agricultural and forested watershed located to the west of Clarksburg, Maryland, in an area that has experienced land-use change and urban development over the past decade. Additional development extending into the Ten Mile Creek watershed is planned over the next several years.
This planned development in the Ten Mile Creek watershed presents an...
Bioremediation in Wetland Areas, Standard Chlorine of Delaware Inc. Superfund Site, Delaware City, Delaware
Major releases of chlorinated benzenes and benzene are known to have occurred at the Standard Chlorine of Delaware Inc. Superfund Site from 1966-2002, resulting in contamination of the groundwater underlying the site and the wetlands surrounding Red Lion Creek.
Although installation of a groundwater interception and treatment system has been completed around the main facility, wetland...
Coastal Monitoring Tide Gage Sites in Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.
Vital coastal storm-tide information needed to help guide storm response efforts following major storms affecting Maryland will be more accessible than ever due to a new monitoring network the U.S. Geological Survey is currently building.
A team from the USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center is surveying 63 locations in the state, determining their elevations and installing receiving...
Water Use
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...
Monitoring Water-Quality Response of Conservation Practices in the Bucks Branch Watershed, Sussex County, Delaware
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...
Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality of the Anacostia River Watershed
The Anacostia River has been subjected to dredging, filling, contamination, and other human influences for over 200 years. The result of these activities is that the river has been seriously degraded from its natural state. Many groups have been working to reduce the effects of environmental degradation on the water quality and living resources of the Anacostia River, primarily by focusing on...