Continued nutrient inputs will reduce dissolved oxygen levels below those capable of sustaining most aquatic life in the canal system, and will ultimately increase nutrient loadings to Little Assawoman Bay. Pollutants and excess nutrients from stormwater runoff degrade the water quality and damage the ecosystem of the canals throughout the Town of South Bethany, surrounding wetlands and adjacent waters. This has an adverse impact on the overall quality of life for people living in the area as well as other life dependent on the marine environment from microorganisms to fish and crab populations. The DCMP is an interagency program that is coordinated by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and is concerned with the sound management of the State's coastal resources. This has raised the question of which of these plans is most cost effective.
Little information exists on cost effectiveness of BMPs.
Further, there is no empirical data on the current actual water quality of the lagoons. No goal has been set on pollutant or nutrient reduction amounts needed to achieve a balanced ecosystem or even make modest improvements. The town needs to reach a consensus concerning its water quality goals, and specifically the goal for water quality improvement in the canals. Understanding relative sources of stormwater pollution is critical to determining a strategy for treating those sources. The town should form a Citizen Monitoring Group, which would consist of town volunteers, with assistance from local universities.