Delaware

Delaware water supply still in good shape despite worsening drought

Published

1 year ago

October 27, 2024

Press Room

Delaware water supply still in good shape despite worsening drought

The worst drought in over 20 years is continuing to expand over Delaware, and current forecasts offer minimal relief.

Gov. John Carney declared a statewide drought watch on Oct. 25 asking residents to voluntarily conserve water. The watch came a week after an indefinite outdoor burn ban from the Delaware Fire Marshal.

The drought watch encourages state residents to limit watering their lawns and outdoor plants and to avoid using potable water to do so.

The governor’s declaration said the drought watch was triggered by low precipitation and stream flows in northern New Castle County.

Wilmington and Georgetown had the driest September on record, and October is lining up to have only a trace of rain in some locations at best. The state is on track to break a record for most consecutive days without rain, which is 34 days in both places.

Broadly, the state’s water supply, especially New Castle County’s reservoirs, is still in good shape. Newark is pulling from its reservoir as flow of the White Clay Creek gets lower. The reservoir off of Paper Mill Road was built after the drought of 2002, the worst drought on record in northern Delaware.

A drought watch is the first step in the drought operation plan, which was developed in the 2000s with the four states in the Delaware River Basin, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, to coordinate drought response. New Jersey is also in a drought watch.

A drought warning would be the next step, and a drought emergency is when residents could face mandatory water conservation. That would take a much longer period of no rain to get to, said Gerald Kauffman, director of the Water Resources Center at the University of Delaware. The last drought emergency was in 2002.

“There’s a lot of backup water supply,” Kauffman said.

Wilmington’s water supply comes from the Brandywine, which flows from Pennsylvania into the Christina River, which flows to the Delaware River. Its levels are good, according to Kauffman, but they are actively monitoring them. If the water level goes down, the city can always pull from Hoopes Reservoir, a New Deal-era reservoir that can supply the city in the event of severe drought.

Kauffman said that reality is “off a ways,” however.

Veolia, which supplies New Castle County’s water, said the low precipitation levels have not affected its operations or ability to deliver water to its customers.

Artesian, which also supplies water to much of the unincorporated areas of the county, said it does not anticipate impacts on customers.

Downstate, the water supply is reliant on groundwater wells, which are at good levels.

Dover relies on water from wells near Route 9.

Lewes and Rehoboth Beach also rely on wells, some of which are over 100 feet deep. While these wells are in a good spot right now, they will not be recharged without rain.

Private individual wells in the less dense parts of Delaware would be the first to discover groundwater shortages because they are not as deep, according to Kauffman.

However, Kauffman has broader concerns about this drought. Not having even 0.01 inches of rain in a single month is what you would expect in Phoenix, not Delaware or anywhere in the Northeast. He said legendary droughts are set up by dry falls, and he warns this one could set up a dry spring and then summer next year. A summer with a drought this severe would hurt Delaware’s most valuable industry, agriculture.

“The only saving grace right now is that we’re in we’re late in the growing season in October,” he said. “If this were June, it would be a much more concerning situation.”

In the near term, Kauffman said he is concerned about the salt line between the Delaware Bay and Delaware River moving northward with freshwater flow ground to a halt.

The line between salt and freshwater in the Delaware is currently past the Commodore Barry Bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. That salt water then creeps into the Christina River in Wilmington and could creep into the White Clay Creek and Red Clay Creek.

Veolia actively measures the salt contents in the White Clay Creek in an area near the Christina Marsh, which is bisected by I-95 near Churchman’s Crossing. Fortunately, Veolia said the salt levels are measuring as normal at the plant in Stanton.

While it is difficult to know whether the drought is the direct result of climate change, Kauffman said pattern stagnation is accentuated by climate change. A dry high-pressure system has been camped above the Northeast for a while now, preventing any notable weathermakers to come into the area.

For now, Kauffman said the drought response is operating normally.

“These measures that you’re seeing, chloride monitoring, drawing from Newark Reservoir, Veolia, working with Wilmington, in case they need the Hoopes Reservoir, this is all in the drought operating plan just waiting to be utilized at this point,” he said. “So the conclusion is the drought operating plan is working as designed.”

(This story was updated to meet our standards and to add a graphic.)

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Delaware

Snow coming to Delaware. How much will we get, will it impact commute

Published

8 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Snow coming to Delaware. How much will we get, will it impact commute

Winter is about to make another rush into Delaware, and it might include a little snow.

The First State is going to see highs drop from the mid- to upper-40s to the freezing mark by the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

After a pleasant Jan. 13, which will feature sunny skies and highs around 46 in New Castle and 50 in Sussex County. However, that will change on Jan 14 as colder temperatures and precipitation move into the area.

There won’t be much snow, but with temperatures at or below freezing the commute will be rough.

What’s the Delaware weather forecast?

New Castle County: The front will move into the county after 1 p.m. on Jan. 14 with a 30% chance of rain in the county. Highs will be in the mid-40s. Rain will continue through the overnight hours and chance over to snow as temperatures drop into the upper 20s. Little to no snow accumulation is expected, but roads could be icy Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Rain and snow are expected until 1 p.m. Jan. 15 with highs near 35.

Kent County: The county will enjoy a sunny Jan. 13 with temperatures hitting 51 degrees. The cold front will move in during the overnight with rain before 4 a.m. and a wintery mix after 4 a.m. with the lows dropping to 30. On Jan 14, there’s a chance of rain and snow before 1 p.m. with highs reaching 38. Little to no snow accumulation is expected, but roads could be icy Wednesday night into Thursday morning

Sussex County: The county will enjoy a sunny Jan. 13 with temperatures hitting 53 degrees. The cold front will move in overnight with rain after 1 a.m. and a low around 30. On Jan 14, there’s a chance of rain and snow before 1 p.m. with highs reaching 39. Little to no snow accumulation is expected, but roads could be icy Wednesday night into Thursday morning

What is black ice?

If you are driving, you’ll need to watch out for black ice.

According to The Weather Channel, black ice is a thin layer of ice that forms on roads and is difficult to see. It’s generally found on bridges, overpasses and spots on the road shaded by trees or other objects.

If roadways are wet from rain, snow or fog and temperatures drop below 32 degrees, black ice can form on roadways.

If you hit black ice, you should do the following:

Keep your steering wheel straight.
Do not brake
Take your foot off the accelerator to reduce speed

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Delaware

Delaware fundraiser to feature Tito Paul, other ex-football players

Published

20 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Delaware fundraiser to feature Tito Paul, other ex-football players

Former NFL player Tito Paul is hosting a fundraiser for the Delaware County Historical Society.
The event, called Game On, will take place on Jan. 14 at the Meeker House and The Barn at Stratford.
Paul will be joined by other former Ohio State and NFL players to share stories and answer questions.

An Ohio State alumnus, a former Cincinnati Bengals player, a Super Bowl champ and an insurance agent walk into a room … but there’s no punchline because they’re all the same person.

Tito Paul is well-known for his gridiron past, which includes playing for Ohio State, where he was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft in 1995, and winning Super Bowl XXXIII with the Denver Broncos in 1999.

But some folks may not be aware that he’s also a superstar in Delaware County, where his State Farm agency receives consistently high reviews.

Football fans will have the chance to meet Paul at Game On, a fundraiser for the Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) on Jan. 14 at the Meeker House and The Barn at Stratford, 2690 Stratford Road, Delaware. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

The event will begin with a meet-and-greet from 6:15-7 p.m. in the Meeker House before moving to The Barn for the rest of the evening. A pizza party and soft drinks are included in the admission price, and beer will be available for purchase.

Paul will be joined by friends who also played for Ohio State, the NFL or both for an evening of football stories, NFL experiences and personal accounts of what it means to play in and win a Super Bowl. A Q&A period will follow the discussion.

In addition to Paul, guests will include:

Ty Howard: Ohio State, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans
Michael Wiley: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dee Miller: Ohio State, Green Bay Packers
Mike “Buster” Tillman: Ohio State

Adult tickets for Game On cost $50 for the full event or $35 for the pizza party only. Tickets for ages 10-18 cost $15. Members of the DCHS pay $45 for the full event or $30 for the pizza party only. Tickets are available at bit.ly/3N4frsg.

In the event of a Level 2 or Level 3 snow emergency, the event will be canceled, with a rescheduled date to be determined.

Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at bpaschal@dispatch.com.

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Delaware

Young humpback whale washes ashore in Delaware after possible ship strike, officials say

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Young humpback whale washes ashore in Delaware after possible ship strike, officials say

A young 32-foot humpback whale washed up on shore along the Delaware coast last week after it may have been struck by a large ship, according to the MERR Institute, a rescue and care facility for marine mammals in Lewes, Delaware.

The whale, estimated to have weighed at least 20,000 pounds, washed up in the Bethany Beach community on Jan. 8 after it had been floating at sea for a couple of days.

Whale likely struck by a ship

The MERR Institute said the humpback whale was in the surf zone throughout Thursday night before heavy equipment moved it to the shore the next day.

Marine officials said the tossing and churning in the surf caused gases to form and inflate the tongue. MERR Institute’s necropsy team then performed a post-mortem examination on Friday, Jan. 9.

Officials said the whale had subdermal hemorrhaging and a broken jaw on the right side, and that an injury of that nature is often associated with a large ship strike. Officials said the whale was likely still alive when it was struck by the ship.

MERR Institute officials said the whale was buried on the beach, which is “the most common practice for the disposition of the body. These large whales cannot be safely towed out to sea, so burying them on the beach allows them to become an important part of the beach ecosystem.”

“This was a tragic event, and we would like to thank everyone who helped to support us in our examination of this whale,” said MERR executive director Suzanne Thurman. “MERR’s volunteers were as wonderful as ever, and worked tirelessly to assist in examining the whale in a very short window of time. We would also like to thank DNREC for providing heavy equipment resources for towing and burial of the whale. They were able to tow the whale up onto the beach so we could safely examine it, and their staff was indispensable in helping us to position the whale so that we could get as much information as possible.”

Thurman continued, “And last but certainly not least, we would like to thank the very kind homeowners in Ocean Ridge. They looked out for our volunteers by sending down coffee and doughnuts, letting us use their bathroom, and for showing so much caring and compassion for this beautiful animal. We always appreciate the fact that we live in a community that cares so much about the ocean and its creatures.”

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