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Delaware Watersheds

Delaware is a beautiful low-lying state full of valuable natural resources. At its highest point, less than 450 feet above sea level, the state sits on a level plan. The northern county, New Castle, is associated with the Appalachian Piedmont; undulating with variant rolling landscapes. As you move south, the state transitions quickly, following the Atlantic Coastal Plan. This is a relatively flat area with sandy and saturated soils. Along the western edge of the state is a broad flat of about 75 to 80 feet in altitude, which creates a divide between two major watersheds. The two major watersheds are the Chesapeake Bay in the west and the Delaware River to the east. The Christina River and the Brandywine Creek are the foremost systems that drain into the Delaware. The Delaware Bay has many sandy beaches, shallow lagoons and is marshy in large areas. The Chesapeake Bay is a large watershed that extends from Virginia at it southern end, and New York to the north. Delaware has numerous streams, rivers and watersheds. Below you will find links that will provide you with information about some of these systems.

Brandywine-Christina

The Brandywine-Christina 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers 231,734 acres. The entire Delaware portion of the watershed is located in New Castle County. There are 283 farms located in the subbasin. The average farm size is 200 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000 acres and another 6 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.
There are 29,503 acres in farms in the watershed with 92 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Approximately 84 percent of the farmland or 24,780 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown on about 94 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 2 percent of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent. Horse farms are the primary type of livestock operation in the watershed.

Broadkill-Smyrna Watershed

The Broadkill-Smyrna 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers 406,029 acres. Approximately 60 percent of the subbasin is located in Kent County, 30 percent is in Sussex County and the remaining 10 percent is in New Castle County. There are 781 farms located in the subbasin . The average farm size is 257 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000 acres and another 5 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.

There are 187,904 acres in farms in the watershed with 509 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Approximately 86 percent of the farmland or 161,600 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown on about 85 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 14 percent of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent. Poultry is the dominant type of livestock operation in the watershed.

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is a large ecosystem that encompasses six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia. In Delaware, the western edges of Delaware’s three counties, New Castle, Kent and Sussex, contribute to the health and integrity of the Chesapeake Bay. Approximately 34% of Delaware’s acreage drains into the bay system, with nearly all of that in agricultural production.
Delaware’s contributing portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is wholly comprised of five sub-watersheds. Each of the five is distinct in soil types, physical description, land use, social composition, and agricultural production. The five sub-watersheds are; Chester-Sassafras, Choptank River, Naticoke River, Blackwater-Wicomico, and Pocomoke. Because of their distinctiveness, Delaware’s contributing portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is complex in natural resources, environmental factors and land uses.

For more insight into Delaware’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed please see the following detailed profiles of the five contributing sub-watershed.

Chincoteague

The Chincoteague 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers 202,945 acres. The entire Delaware portion of the Chincoteague watershed is in Sussex County. There are a total of 398 farms located in the basin. The average farm size is 216 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000 acres and another 6 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.
There are 86,046 acres in farms in the watershed with 103 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Approximately 83 percent of the farmland or 71,400 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown on about 82 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 17 percent of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent. Livestock operations are primarily based on poultry production.

Chester Sassafras Watershed

The Chester-Sassafras 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers 36,263 acres. Approximately 70 percent of the subbasin is located in New Castle County and the remaining 30 percent is in Kent County. There are 76 farms located in the subbasin . The average farm size is 200 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000 acres and another 6 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.
There are 17,352 acres in farms in the watershed with 93 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Approximately 84 percent of the farmland or 14,600 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown on about 94 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 2 percent of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent. Horse farms are the primary type of livestock operation in the watershed.

Choptank River Watershed

The Choptank River 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers 62,191 acres. The entire Delaware portion of the subbasin is located in Kent County. There are 115 farms located in the subbasin . The average farm size is 257 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000 acres and another 5 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.
There are 29,555 acres in farms in the watershed with 459 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.
Approximately 86 percent of the farmland or 25,417 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown on about 85 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 14 percent of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent. Livestock operations are primarily based on poultry production.

Nanticoke River and Blackwater - Wicomico Watershed

The Nanticoke River 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers 316,371 acres. The small portion of the Blackwater-Wicomico adjacent to the Nanticoke covers 1,313 acres. The two watersheds cover a combined 317,684 acres. About 85 percent of the Nanticoke River watershed and all of the Blackwater-Wicomico are in Sussex County. The northern section of the Nanticoke River basin about about 15 percent is in Kent County. There are a total of 674 farms located in the two basins. The average farm size is 216 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000 acres and another 6 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.
There are 149,399 acres in farms in the watershed with 222 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Approximately 83 percent of the farmland or 124,000 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown on about 82 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 17 percent of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent. Livestock operations are primarily based on poultry production.

Pocomoke Watershed

The Pocomoke River 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers 28,636 acres. The entire Delaware portion of the Pocomoke River Watershed is in Sussex County. There are a total of 59 farms located in the basin. The average farm size is 216 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000 acres and another 6 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.
There are 12,753 acres in farms in the watershed with 15 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Approximately 83 percent of the farmland or 10,585 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown on about 82 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 17 percent of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent. Livestock operations are primarily based on poultry production.

 


Last Modified:  09/25/2007 07:47:22 AM