Delaware River Watershed

In 1992, the Delaware River Watershed was the first to be designated as an inland Pesticide Management Area because Atrazine, a pesticide used on corn, was showing up in unacceptably high levels in drinking water supplies. Perry Reservoir is used for drinking water for many of the towns in the watershed, and concentrates agricultural chemicals that are washed into it from streams and rivers in the upper Delaware River watershed. More recently, the Delaware River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) has identified pesticides, sedimentation and erosion, nutrient contamination, bacterial contamination, household hazardous waste disposal, groundwater and water wells contamination, and point sources of pollution as their major concerns. This WRAPS has been very active and has developed and implemented projects to tackle these important environmental concerns and improve water quality in Perry Reservoir. Marlene Bosworth of the Glacial Hills RC&D is the WRAPS coordinator. Reports can be downloaded from the Delaware River WRAPS website.