New fee proposed to clean Delaware’s waterways

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Gov. Jack Markell is proposing a new service fee on Delaware households to pay for a plan to clean up Delaware’s waterways.

Administration officials say the fee, which will be indexed to inflation and collected through county property taxes, would generate about $30 million annually.

Markell noted in his State of the State address in January that Delaware’s rivers, lakes and bays are so polluted that residents are advised not to swim in them or eat fish from them.

Markell joined environmental Secretary Collin O’Mara on Tuesday to discuss his “Clean Water for Delaware’s Future” plan

The governor’s initiative includes proposals to upgrade wastewater and drinking water plants and improve stormwater infrastructure as part of an effort to clean up Delaware’s waterways within a generation.

Check back with NewsWorks later for more details on Gov. Markell’s clean waterways initiative and how he plans to pay for it. A story on the clean water initiative will air on First later this month.