DNREC Looking for Volunteers to Cleanup Concord Pond near Seaford
Volunteers celebrate a successful cleanup at Seaford’s Concord Pond in 2024 – the state’s southernmost volunteer cleanup sponsored by DNREC./ DNREC Photo
DNREC is looking for volunteers to help with an Earth Day month clean up at Concord Pond near Seaford. Volunteers are asked to pre-register for the Saturday, April 5th cleanup – which will take place between 10am and noon. Concord Pond is a popular fishing and boating area and the cleanup will help improve local water quality and support wildlife habitat. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship and the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance will provide cleanup supplies, drinking water and light snacks – if you have a trash grabber – bring with with you!!
Additional information from DNREC:
Concord Pond is located in the Deep Creek Watershed and drains directly into the creek at the cleanup site. The Deep Creek watershed is within the larger Nanticoke River Watershed and Chesapeake Bay Basin. Participating in voluntary activities such as cleanups and plantings benefits the health of local waterways and ecosystems, as well as the larger waterbodies they drain into.
The Deep Creek Watershed has been able to support underwater grasses known as submerged aquatic vegetation, which fish use for spawning, cover, and nurseries. The watershed has also been impacted by non-point source pollution, which can make it difficult for vegetation and other aquatic species to thrive. Non-point source pollution originates from a variety of places and can be from fertilizers, animal waste, septic systems, litter, and other sources. Planting buffers of trees and plants along waterways can help catch, absorb and filter pollutants.
DNREC’s Nonpoint Source Program and Chesapeake Implementation Program offer funding for projects that reduce nutrient and sediment pollution. Also, within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Delaware Community Conservation Assistance Program provides financial and technical assistance to homeowners for implementing eligible conservation practices. The DNREC Buffer Incentive Program offers financial incentives to landowners for installing buffers along waterways within Delaware’s Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance assists with plantings of native vegetation within the Nanticoke River Watershed and monitors water quality through the volunteer Creek Watchers Program.
Visit Delaware Watersheds to identify and learn more about local watersheds. To join DNREC in celebrating Earth Day throughout the month of April, visit de.gov/earthday. Upcoming DNREC activities are posted on the DNREC Calendar of Events and Division of Watershed Stewardship Facebook page.