Delaware River estuary receives health grade

After plenty of research, the partnership for the Delaware estuary released a health report on the tidal Delaware River and Bay.

The PDE unveiled its “2012 State of the Estuary Report” at its headquarters, Thursday afternoon, which is designed to help serve as a scientific health assessment of the tidal Delaware River and Bay. As for the score, the estuary earned a “fair” grade.

“We gave the estuary a “fair,” which may not sound that impressive, but considering the fact the patient was in critical condition not that long ago… fair is actually pretty good,” explained PDE Executive Director Jennifer Adkins.

Adkins says in order to improve the health of the Delaware estuary people need to know where we are, and need to know what’s working and what’s not working, which sums up the extensive report.

According to Adkins, the estuary will benefit from projects such as the city of Wilmington’s efforts to create a wetlands park in south Wilmington. The vision is that a wetlands park would provide a habitat for fish and wildlife, while creating opportunities for education and recreation for area residents. It’s believed that a wetlands park would also absorb floodwater in an area that is vulnerable to sea level rise.  

The last “State of the Estuary Report” was released in July 2008. The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary publishes a public report every three to five years.