By Mike Finney

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control recently introduced two incentive programs to improve water quality and create wildlife habitat in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Both programs — the Delaware Community Conservation Assistance Program (DeCAP) and the Forest Buffer Incentive Program — will pay homeowners and landowners for conservation practices supporting those goals.

Dr. Holly Walker, the department’s Chesapeake Bay program coordinator, said both are crucial to Delaware meeting water quality and pollution reduction goals in the 64,000-square-mile watershed, which spans six states, including the western third of Delaware.

“These practices help reduce stormwater runoff, an important factor when it comes to improving water quality,” she said. “At the same time, participants in the Community Conservation Assistance Program also get the benefit of a more beautiful, eco-friendly landscape that will attract songbirds, butterflies and other beneficial insects.”

Through DeCAP, homeowners can qualify for partial reimbursement of their installation expenses for constructed wetlands, conservation landscaping, urban nutrient management, bioretention areas, rain gardens and tree planting.

In addition to reducing the volume of stormwater runoff, these practices offer the benefit of solving backyard issues like erosion, poor drainage and lack of vegetation because of compacted soil and other hindrances.

The new Forest Buffer Incentive Program provides free tree plantings for qualified landowners, plus a one-time incentive payment.

Forest buffers are linear strips of wooded areas that filter sediment and nutrient pollutants from runoff, which improves the water quality of the watershed. Such buffers are a part of Delaware’s Watershed Implementation Plan, which seeks to create an additional 65 acres of these areas by 2025.

For landowners to qualify for either of these programs, their property must be in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Delaware and their management practices must remain in place for at least five years.

Learn more at delawarewatersheds.org.