For last week’s #FieldTripFriday, staff of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) visited a Wilmington park to observe how a green infrastructure project ten years in the making is improving stormwater management.
The Delaware Nature Society, City of Wilmington, and other partners brought the project to life. DNREC provided support through a Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant and Community Water Quality Improvement Grant administered by the Department’s Nonpoint Source Program.
New planted areas now capture stormwater that previously pooled along the edge of the park. Instead of collecting on the surface, the water can soak into the ground and filter through soil and native plants, helping reduce standing water and the amount of nutrients and sediment reaching the Brandywine Creek watershed. The benefits extend beyond stormwater management. Native plantings provide habitat for pollinators and birds while contributing to a growing network of pollinator habitat throughout Wilmington.
The project exemplifies how green infrastructure can address a neighborhood challenge while improving habitat and watershed health, and how long-term partnerships can turn an idea into a project that benefits the community.
