Delaware draining water supply, study finds

Wells in central New Castle County are removing groundwater "at or beyond sustainable levels," drawing water away from Maryland and New Jersey and diminishing streams in some areas, according to a draft report now under study by state regulators.

The Army Corps of Engineers assessment -- nearly a decade in the works -- could force Delaware to restrict development, close areas to new wells, work more closely with its neighbors and possibly reconsider well locations, according to some who have seen the document.

"There are difficult issues here, because the aquifer is clearly at its maximum yield capacity," said Stewart Lovell, water supply manager for Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

The corps study relied on a computer model of groundwater levels and well pumping in an oval-shaped zone that included all of Delaware and portions of Maryland and South Jersey.

from the Delaware News Journal