Division of Air and Waste Management

24-Hour Environmental Complaint and Spill Line

Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances Section and Program links

The Accidental Release Prevention Program, designed to prevent releases.
Emergency Prevention and Response Section, Emergency Response Team and Emergency Services
The Site Investigation and Restoration Section (SIRS) oversees cleanup of sites that were contaminated as a result of past use, from dry cleaners to chemical companies, brownfields to federal superfund sites.
The Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Section (SHWMS) is responsible for controlling the storage, transport and disposal of solid, infectious and hazardous waste in Delaware and also coordinates recycling and yard waste management. SHWMS also oversees cleanup from sites that have treated, stored or disposed of hazardous waste onsite, called RCRA Corrective Action.
The Tank Management Section (TMS) oversees the cleanup of leaks from underground and above ground storage tanks and Boilers and Pressure Vessels to protect public safety. In addition, TMS initiated the new Heating Fuel Underground Storage Tank Closure Assistance Program for heating fuel UST systems of 1,100 gallons or less used to store fuel to heat the premises where they are located.

Division of Waste & Hazardous Substance Health and Safety Plan and Manual for WHS employees and contractors performing state-funded work.

UST CLOSURE ASSISTANCE: DNREC's Heating Fuel Underground Storage Tank Closure Assistance Program for heating fuel UST systems of 1,100 gallons or less used to store fuel to heat the premises where they are located.

Non-WHS related cleanup and disposal programs:

DNREC's Division of Air Quality oversees the removal of asbestos.
Debris Pit Remediation for the investigation and cleanup of debris pits in Delaware.
24/7 Disposal Box for Prescription Drugs located at the Public Safety Building, 3601 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19906.

ADVISORY: Artesian Water Company and the City of New Castle Municipal Services Commission have detected perfluorooctanoic sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in public water supply wells in the New Castle County Airport area that are above the U.S. EPA’s 2016 lifetime health advisory level of 0.07 parts per billion. Public public drinking water in the area is treated to remove the contaminants. More information is available at PFAS Fact Sheet New Castle Public Supply Wells (includes PFOS/PFOA).

ADVISORY: The US Environmental Protection Agency announced May 15 that the Hockessin Groundwater Site will be listed on the National Priorities List (NPL). The listing allows EPA to use Superfund authority and resources to work with DNREC to help resolve groundwater concerns in the Hockessin area. Information is available on the Hockessin Groundwater Site. The EPA also listed the Newark South Groundwater Plume Site on the NPL on Jan. 18. More information is available on the Newark South Groundwater Plume Site.

ADVISORY: DNREC has been working with the Underground Storage Tank Advisory Committee (USTAC) to develop amendments to Delaware’s Underground Storage Tank Regulations. For questions, or to provide feedback on the most recent draft of the amendments, please send an email to DNREC_USTRegulations@state.de.us or call Alex Rittberg at 302-395-2500. Meeting materials from previous meetings, as well as the most recent version of the draft changes to the Underground Storage Tank Regulations, can be found here.

UPDATE: DNREC has finalized the Proposed Amendments to the AST Regulations as published in the April 1, 2017 State Register of Regulations. The new regulations are now in effect.

NOW AVAILABLE: DNREC's recycling team offers free onsite waste assessment to schools and businesses to assist with the Universal Recycling requirements. For more information about Universal Recycling, please visit the Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances website or call the Recycling Team at 302-739-9403, ext. 8. All commercial businesses in Delaware are now required to participate in the comprehensive Universal Recycling Program. This includes for-profit and not-for profit retail or wholesale stores, offices, food service establishments, warehouses, and other manufacturing, industrial or processing activities, and institutions such as social, charitable, educational, healthcare, professional and government services. Learn more about recycling in Delaware including where and how to recycle – bottle returns, composting, recycling grants, and the Recycling Public Advisory Committee. Information about a new Delaware Organics Task Force can be found here.

Other Topics of Interest:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continuing to clean up the Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill Superfund Site located in New Castle County, Delaware. EPA issued a Record of Decision Amendment at the site in December 2017 to address the source material and groundwater contamination. Record of Decision Amendment No. 2 and other site-related documents may be found here. Additional site information is available here.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) Report for a Removal Action to address contaminated soil and groundwater at the Millsboro TCE Superfund Site located in Millsboro, Sussex County, Delaware. For more information on the EE/CA and the site, please see EPA's fact sheet here.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues its cleanup effort at the Standard Chlorine of Delaware Superfund Site, also known as the Metachem Site, located in New Castle County, Delaware. EPA has been cleaning up the site in four separate parts called "operable units" or OUs. In early 2016, the EPA announced a proposed Record of Decision (ROD) Amendment for addressing off-site contaminated soils at the site, referred to as Operable Unit 2 (OU-2). More information regarding the EPA's OU-2 Proposed Plan for the ROD Amendment is available here.
DNREC's Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances' Site Investigation and Restoration Section (SIRS) and the Division of Watershed Stewardship's Watershed Assessment and Management Section (WAMS) have completed the Phase II regional environmental study of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) across the State of Delaware. More information and the Phase II Report, please click here.
Watershed Approach to Toxics Assessment and Remediation (WATAR) is a watershed-scale approach to the evaluation of contaminant sources, transport pathways and receptors. More information is available here.
Annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data now available; decrease in emissions continues in Delaware. Toxics Release Inventory update with latest state emissions figures
Delaware Brownfields Marketplace is an interactive database that contains a list of market-ready brownfield sites available for redevelopment in Delaware.
Delaware Groundwater Management Zones (GMZs): A GMZ is a delineated land area adjacent to and including a contaminated site where DNREC has determined that new drinking water wells must be restricted in order to protect public health and safety. For more information on GMZs in Delaware, please click here.

Additional information? For more information, visit All (A-Z List)…, an alphabetical list of links to Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances topics.

All (A-Z List)…
Alphabetical list of links to Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances topics.

Including information about on how to properly recycle or dispose of solid, infectious and hazardous waste – from hazardous chemicals to tires; cleanup of dumps, and waste regulation.

Environmental Enforcement
Enforcement-related information about land, water and air.

Hazardous Substances
Information about hazardous substances and their sources – from arsenic to MTBE.