Pages Tagged With: "health"
Many communities across the United States face challenges related to air quality and respiratory health, especially as it pertains to emissions from diesel engines. In Delaware, transportation is a major contributor to pollution, producing 75% of the state’s nitrogen oxide emissions, which contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone. But Delaware is also taking advantage of a federal program to clean up diesel pollution, replacing and retrofitting older diesel vehicles like school buses and trash trucks.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control handles a lot of responsibilities, one of the most important yet often overlooked of which is ensuring companies and other entities are following environmental laws and regulations. This includes regularly inspecting boilers, septic systems, exhaust stacks and more around the state. Learn more about the dedicated professionals who handle these duties in this piece from Outdoor Delaware.
As part of its duties overseeing Delaware’s environment and wildlife, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control regularly responds to fish kills. These die-offs can occur in bodies of water as disparate as an ocean or a neighborhood stormwater basin and can consist of just a few fish or literal millions.
Do you know what chemicals are stored in your community? For four decades, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act has helped keep Americans safe by requiring officials to track hazardous substances, develop emergency plans in case of spills or leaks and make information available to the public. That includes providing details about businesses, schools and other places storing chemicals, which Delawareans can now view through a new portal from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The first week of May marks the beginning of Air Quality Awareness Week. DNREC ‘s Air Quality Monitoring Stations, located throughout the state, are helping us breathe easier.
Wetlands across the state of Delaware face many challenges. However, there are opportunities to combat specific issues and to restore and protect Delaware’s wetland resources. The DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program is developing strategies, specific to Delaware’s different watersheds, to identify and pursue those opportunities. The wetland restoration strategies will help
By Dr. Ashley Kennedy Last April, returning home after a day of work outdoors, I loosened my hair out of my ponytail and felt a familiar but unwelcome bump on my scalp. Based on the size and location, I immediately guessed what it could be – an adult American dog tick which often bites
By Todd Keyser Beginning in the 1970s, firefighters used a special foam to put out jet fuel fires at Dover Air Force Base (DAFB). That foam figured prominently in 2006, when a C-5 cargo plane crashed just short of a runway after developing problems during takeoff. Fortunately, all 17 onboard survived the crash. But
Looking for something different on your plate? We asked DNREC folks to share their most wildly delicious recipes for harvested game.
The Delaware Sportsmen Against Hunger program is once again providing venison to people in need, an annual tradition during the holidays.
“Ghost forests.” Salty-tasting well water. Saltwater intrusion is a growing issue in Delaware due to sea level rise and climate change. Here’s what DNREC is doing about it.
Delaware’s waterways are packed with boat traffic this summer. Here are some tips and requirements you need to know to stay safe and enjoy your nautical adventures in the First State.
There are 19 species of snakes slithering around Delaware. Which ones should you watch out for and what are the best ways to avoid them?
zzzzz … slap. Sound familiar? The whine of buzzing mosquitoes followed by swats is a tell-tale sign of summer in Delaware. There’s plenty you can do in your backyard to reduce populations of these pests. Our Mosquito Control Section has tips to share, along with the mosquitos to watch out for.
You may not have heard about them, but there are brownfields all over Delaware. They’re neither pretty nor healthy. That is, until we step in to clean them up and make way for redevelopment.
Safer water for us, less flooding and shad returning to their spawning grounds in the Brandywine River. Our WATAR team is making it happen.
A collection of wetland health reports from the DNREC Watershed Assessment Section.
Wetland Publications Library Wetland Health Reports Management Plans and Monitoring Protocols Long-Term Wetlands Monitoring
By understanding the health of our wetlands, we also can better understand how to restore them and protect them from actions that cause damage.
Contact Us
Alison Rogerson Delaware Wetlands 302-739-9939
Wetland Health Assessments
The DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program, known as Delaware Wetlands, provides quality reports on the status, health and function of Delaware’s wetlands. It collaborates with other government agencies, businesses, non-profits and universities to further wetland research.
Alison Rogerson Delaware
Our Emergency Response Team is the state’s designated first responder for environmental emergencies. The team is on call 24/7 to respond to emergencies from oil spills to clandestine drug labs, chemical leaks, radiological incidents and many more that may occur.
What happens to plastic after it fulfills its original purpose? Recycling gives many plastic items a second use but vast amounts are discarded and make their way into the environment. Some of this becomes microplastics. DNREC scientists are working on ways to clean them up.
DNREC can help even out the potentially high costs of home heating, and make a home more energy efficient, through the Weatherization Assistance Program.
Many of us are scared of bats. But they’re far more beneficial than harmful – and they’re not out to get us.
For 32 years, volunteers cleared tons of trash from Delaware beaches in single-day events. In 2020, to make the Coastal Cleanup accessible and safe for everyone, the effort transitioned to a month-long campaign.
As anyone who’s searched for them knows, finding snakes, turtles, frogs and other reptiles or amphibians isn’t always easy. For conservationists, who must develop detailed plans around propagating species that are typically rare to begin with, it can be even more difficult. Experts have too often lacked good data about these critters, including where exactly they live. Mapping the range of every species in our state is a very big task. But, thanks to a very extensive project that took the better part of a decade, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control now has a better idea about the location of reptiles and amphibians here.
Toliara is a radiated tortoise who lives at the Brandywine Zoo. Radiated tortoises are reptiles and considered among the most beautiful in the world. His ancestors emerged on land shortly after dinosaurs became extinct some 65 million years ago.
The American kestrel is a pint-sized yet ferocious aerial predator notorious for taking out tree swallows or bluebirds in mid-air. About the size of a mourning dove, this raptor is the smallest and most colorful falcon in North America. But the species is also in danger. Kestrel populations have been falling, with the Mid-Atlantic region experiencing the greatest decline.
Are you planning to go for a swim? If so, you may encounter jellyfish because they love warm water. And there are several species of jellies you should keep a watchful eye on as you venture out for a dip.
Over 20 years, Delaware has recycled more than two million tons of rock, 100,000 tons of concrete, 86 tanks and armored personnel carriers, 1,329 retired subway cars and 27 retired vessels to create new, artificial reefs.
Our relationship with electric automobiles has run hot and cold over the last 100 years, with gas-powered vehicles always winning in the end. Now people are looking for cleaner alternatives as concerns for the environment increase.
On June 6, 2017, the DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy hosted the Delaware Climate + Health Conference at the Buena Vista Conference Center in New Castle. The event brought together health and medical professionals, environmental and social groups, and critical services stakeholders to explore the ways