Natural Resources and Environmental Control 40-00-00
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NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL 40-00-00 Natural Resources and Environmental Control Office of the Secretary Fish and Wildlife Parks and Recreation -OfficeoftheSecretary - Management and Support - Fish and - Management and Support - Parks - Business and Permitting Services Wildlife and Recreation - Wildlife/Fisheries - Operations and Maintenance - Mosquito Control - Cultural and Recreational Services - Dog Control - Planning, Preservation and Development - Fish and Wildlife Enforcement - Wilmington State Parks Soil and Water Air and Waste Conservation Water Resources Management - Management and Support -Soil and Water -Management and Support - - Management and Support - Air and Waste -Drainage Water Resources - Air Quality Management - Shoreline and Waterway Management - Environmental Laboratory - Waste Management - District Operations - Surface Water Discharges - Delaware Coastal Management - Ground Water Discharges - Water Supply - Watershed Assessment - Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands MISSION • Conserve Plant and Animal Resources This goal is to conserve and enhance plant and animal The mission of the Department of Natural Resources communities, through protection and management of and Environmental Control is to ensure the wise species populations and their habitats. This effort management, conservation, and enhancement of the involves maintenance of biodiversity, harvest allocation state’s natural resources, protect public health and the of species populations, protection of ecological functions environment, provide quality outdoor recreation, and processes, and performing educational outreach. improve the quality of life, and educate the public on historic, cultural, and natural resource use, • Promote and Provide Recreational Opportunities requirements, and issues. Recreational opportunities that allow Delawareans to KEY OBJECTIVES enjoy natural resources and open spaces, contribute to and enhance mental and physical health and quality of • Promote Health and Safety life. The department strives to provide recreational opportunities while balancing resource protection with By maintaining and improving the quality of air, land, resource use. A diverse system of state parks, wildlife and water resources, by managing populations of areas and greenways that protects natural resources and mosquitoes and other pests, and by cleaning up spills provides recreational and environmental educational involving hazardous chemicals, the department opportunities is crucial. significantly enhances the health and well being of Delaware’s people, wildlife, and plants. The department • Broaden the Commitment to Environmental recognizes that the health of Delaware’s economy is Protection and Resource Conservation very much dependent on the health of its natural Economic, environmental, and social problems cannot resources. Without a clean and adequate supply of air, be addressed in isolation. The department works in land, and water resources, many of Delaware’s existing partnership with others to develop strategies that businesses cannot thrive nor can certain new businesses integrate economic development, environmental quality, be accommodated. The department promotes public and social policy making with broad public involvement. health and safety and helps to ensure a healthy This involves a systematic approach that reflects shared environment through education, outreach, planning, and goals and takes into account the linkages of the regulatory programs. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL 40-00-00 environment, both internally (cross media) and of watershed restoration action strategies followed by externally with society. The department strives to create implementation of additional pollution control measures. a widely held ethic of stewardship that strongly Successful management of nutrients and stormwater are encourages individuals, institutions, corporations and key to meeting TMDLs. Poor operation and maintenance local governments to take full responsibility for the of septic systems contribute nutrients to ground and economic, environmental, and social consequences of surface waters. To ensure excess nutrients from systems their actions. Creating this ethic will depend in part on are minimized, a statewide compliance inspection system DNREC’s ability to enhance public awareness of is necessary to ensure that systems are inspected every environmental issues and people’s personal three years. Likewise, DNREC will be implementing responsibility in affecting environmental change phase two of the National Pollution Discharge through public information and educational efforts Elimination System Stormwater Management Program to targeting adults and student populations. reduce environmental impacts from runoff of developed areas and continue to work closely with the Nutrient PRIORITIES Management Commission. Enforcement and Community Right-To-Know – Recycling – As a result of Executive Order No. 60, Taking enforcement actions against environmental Delaware has established a goal of achieving a violators in a timely and efficient manner, providing residential recycling rate of 30 percent by 2003. DNREC, information to the public about those actions and working with the Recycling Public Advisory Council, enhancing communications and relationships with will implement the program as outlined under the communities are top priorities for DNREC. The Executive Order. In order to help achieve this goal, department has begun publishing administrative and DNREC will be working with interested communities to criminal enforcement actions on its Internet website provide start-up grants to initiate recycling efforts. along with notices of violations. The department is also Dam Safety – Delaware is one of two states in the nation working on a system to publish unpermitted releases to that does not have a dam safety program. DNREC, the environment on its Internet site. This information working with a contractor, is beginning preliminary will eventually be part of a larger electronic inspections of the state’s high hazard dams. In addition, environmental information system that is currently the department is working with an advisory committee under development and will include a broad range of consisting of state and federal officials and private dam data on permitted facilities, hazardous waste sites, state owners in Delaware to develop legislation establishing a parks and other natural resources. dam safety program and the regulatory framework that Responding to Harmful Biological Risks – Protecting would assure the safe operation, construction and public health through monitoring, surveillance and maintenance of dams in Delaware. controls of mosquito or water-borne biological threats Protecting Delaware’s Coastal Zone – The wetlands, remains a high priority for DNREC. The recent beaches, rivers, fields and forests that comprise discovery of threats such as West Nile Encephalitis and Delaware’s Coastal Zone provide habitat of international harmful algal blooms in ocean and bay waters are significance for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, fish prompting the department to enhance its efforts to and shellfish and great economic importance to monitor and respond to these types of potential Delaware. DNREC is now administering regulations biological threats through public information and use of designed to enhance the Coastal Zone. The regulations controls. allow industry located in the zone the flexibility to Enhancing Water Quality – Restoring streams, rivers expand and change processes in order to stay competitive and bays to standards that support healthy populations of while assuring environmental improvements (through diverse aquatic life and are safe for swimming and mitigation) to more than offset any negative drinking is among Delaware’s most difficult environmental impacts which might result from industry environmental challenges. DNREC is implementing a activity. The department has successfully processed and ten-year program to set limits on the amount of pollution issued several permits under the new regulations and will that waterways can sustain and still meet water quality have a compendium of possible offset projects available standards. The process of setting Total Maximum Daily by early 2001. Environmental indicators and an Loads (TMDLs) will set the targets for reducing associated integrated information management system nutrients, bacteria and other pollutants entering streams. are being developed as part of DNREC’s larger Achieving these reductions will first require development environmental information system. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL 40-00-00 Natural Resources and Environmental Control CAPITAL BUDGET: ♦ Recommend $2,345.0 for the conservation cost- $000's sharing program, which provides incentives to 50,000.0 landowners or users to support the design and 40,000.0 installation of Best Management Practices. This GF 30,000.0 will protect the state’s natural resources and water ASF 20,000.0 supplies as well as save valuable farmland from excessive erosion while providing for wildlife 10,000.0 habitat. 0.0 FY 98 FY 99 FY 00 FY 01 FY 02 ♦ Recommend $800.0 to continue the tax/public ditch Fiscal Year Chart Reflects Appropriated Amounts program. ♦ Recommend $1,000.0 to continue the beach preservation program. BUDGET ♦ FY 2000 FY 2001 FY 2002 Recommend $1,000.0 to continue to eliminate a ACTUAL BUDGET GOV.REC. backlog of deferred park rehabilitation projects. GF 44,478.8 38,228.7 38,296.2 ♦ ASF 21,747.9