Where does Delaware get their drinking water?


Where does Delaware get their drinking water? South of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, all water used for public and domestic supply and more than 98 percent of water used for irrigation is pumped from underground, according the Delaware Geological Survey. North of the canal, 70 of public water comes from creeks and rivers, with the rest from groundwater.


Is Delaware water safe to swim in?

Swimming in areas of the river outside the life guarded beaches is permitted, but not recommended. Strong currents, sharp drop-offs, and constantly changing river conditions make many areas unsafe for swimming. Wearing a properly fitting life jacket is strongly recommended when swimming.


What happened in Delaware water?

The 2023 Delaware River chemical spill was a failure of equipment that occurred on March 24, 2023 at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical plant in Bristol, Pennsylvania in the United States, which resulted in a leak of between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and methyl methacrylate into Otter Creek, ...


What feeds the Delaware River?

From Pennsylvania, the major tributaries are the Lackawaxen, Lehigh, and Schuylkill rivers. From New Jersey, the Big Flatbrook, Pequest, Musconetcong, and Maurice rivers, plus Oldmans, Raccoon and Rancocas creeks, flow into the Delaware.


What bacteria is in Delaware waters?

Vibrio are bacteria that occur naturally in brackish waters such as the Delaware Bay, the Inland Bays and tributaries, especially during warm weather months.


Why is the Delaware River so famous?

However, the most famous fact about the Delaware River is the famous crossing of it by George Washington in 1776 which helped him successfully surprise Hessian troops in New Jersey during the American Revolution.


Is the Delaware River used for drinking water?

More than 17 million people get their drinking water from the Delaware River basin, including two of the five largest cities in the U.S.—New York City and Philadelphia.