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Tour a Bioreactor
Tour Date:
July 23,
2020 | ANYTIME 11a-2p
Rain Date: July 24
Approximately 45% of the land that drains to the Nanticoke River is in agricultural production. For years, farmers have reduced runoff using vegetative buffers and cover crops.
Bioreactors are another great way to reduce harmful runoff.
Benefits of a Bioreactor:
– A proven technology
– Require little maintenance
– Use very little farmable land
– Last up to 20 years
– Can improve drainage effectiveness
– Funding is available for design & installation
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Bioreactors remove nitrates from farm runoff to send cleaner water downstream. A bioreactor is basically a Mac-truck-sized pit filled with wood chips. These wood chips hold healthy bacteria that can reduce nitrate levels for up to ten years! Joe Layton, a local family farmer.
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A wood chip bioreactor is basically a hole in the ground 20’ wide by 100’ long by 5’ deep, filled with wood chips. The site is usually selected on the low edge of the farm field where the rainwater drains from the field into a ditch that feeds into a local waterway. Water from the farm is diverted into the bioreactor where a natural organic process takes place, removing 90% of the nitrates. The rainwater with the nitrates, filters through the carbon from the wood chips in this low oxygen environment, causing a reaction with bacteria that make the nitrates come out of the water and turn into harmless nitrogen gas. The air we typically breathe is 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen.
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Joe Layton, NWA board member and farmer, grows poultry feed on a 120-acre property in Dorchester County near Route 50. The NWA is partnering with additional organizations like Ridge to Reefs to install a bioreactor on Joe’s farm to remove excess nutrients that would normally run off into the local waterways. Stay tuned; in August farmers and interested folks will be invited to see the bioreactor under construction and learn more!
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Learn More about bioreactors on Ridge To Reef‘s website. You can watch a video here that explains how bioreactors filter water and handle high flows during storms.
We look forward to working with more farmers to implement on the ground projects that keep our waterways clean and our farming community profitable.
“Stay Home, Stay Healthy” Native Tree Sale
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Thank you for your interest in planting native trees on your property! Please fill out the form below or learn more by downloading our info packet.
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Trees are younger and about 2-3 feet in height, though some species will be smaller.
Young trees may take longer to reach a height you consider “full-grown,” however, trees planted at a young age develop a better root system than trees replanted when they are older. This gives the younger trees a better chance of survival.
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Click the image below to see our list of $10 native trees
Links to all the individual files in the packet can be found at the bottom of this page.
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Due to restrictions on our funding, the $10 price and free delivery are only available to Delaware residents within the Nanticoke River Watershed (some MD residents within the watershed my qualify too). The watershed covers most of western Sussex County and small areas of Kent County south and west of Harrington. Click here to check your watershed address.
Downloads:
Official Flier | Native Tree Facts
Maintenance Agreement | Safety Guidelines
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Get SAV-vy with Nanticoke River Grasses This Summer and Autumn!
The 2020 Nanticoke River Grass Watchers season is now over! Stay tuned for more info about future training opportunities. If you are curious about the program, you can continue to view the “Getting SAV-vy with Nanticoke River Grasses” presentation on our YouTube channel at any time.
2019 Fall Newsletter – OUT NOW!
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We just published the 2019 Fall iteration of the Nanticoke Currents.
Click Here to see all of our previous newsletters, including the most recent one.
Sign up for our newsletter mailing list here.
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New Rain Barrel Brochure!
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Head over to our new webpage about Rain Barrels to see the brochure and learn how you can install your own, or just read the brochure below!
www.NanticokeRiver.org/Restoration/RainBarrels
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Download the Brochure Here
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Coastal Cleanup 2019 in Seaford
We held Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 21 in Seaford. Thirty-eight volunteers removed 211 pounds of trash, preventing these items from polluting Williams Pond and the Nanticoke River. Thanks to 4-H and Seaford High School Key Club for lending a hand, and to the City of Seaford for providing lunch and Soroptimist Park pavilion.
Want to help at a future clean up or other event? Join our mailing list to keep informed about our programs and events.
Cambridge Rain Garden Tour – October 23
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– Do you have issues with standing water on your property?
– Are there areas of your yard that are washing out?
– Do you want to learn how to be environmentally-friendly?
On Wednesday, October 23 at 5 pm, join the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance and our partners as we tour Cambridge on foot to show you all the river-friendly projects we are helping residents install on their property. Learn about all the projects we are doing around town and why the city is working hard to promote new stormwater management projects like these.
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Join the community of residents that are interested in making Cambridge a more healthy and vibrant river town!
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We hope to see you there!
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2018 Nanticoke River Report Card
On June 20, 2019, the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance released the 2018 Nanticoke River Report Card. The 2018 season proved challenging, with very heavy rainfall throughout the Nanticoke River watershed. Overall, the River (Upper Nanticoke and Lower Nanticoke regions) dropped to a C+, while the Creeks (Delaware Headwaters, Broad Creek, Marshyhope Creek, and Lower Creeks) held steady with a B-. Fishing Bay also scored a D+, same as in 2017.
Thanks to our 2018 program partners: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Envirocorp Labs Inc., Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative, Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Integration and Application Network. We’d also like to give a SUPER thanks to our Nanticoke Creekwatchers and private landowners who allow us to sample from their docks.
Read more about the season and what you can do to help improve the health of our river and creeks in the 2018 Nanticoke River Report Card. If you have questions or would like to become a Nanticoke Creekwatcher, contact Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Beth Wasden.
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