Wattman: Is council checking facts on Atlantic Fields?

What I did not realize moving here was that it appears that deep pockets seem to be what governs the very landscape of Sussex County. The voice of the people who live here seems to mean nothing.”

Susan Wattman is a resident of Lewes.

I am a transplant to Delaware. I, along with the vast majority of transplants who moved here, did so because we were enchanted with both the character of the area and the warmth and authenticity of the people. I never wanted to nor intended to change Sussex County to be like anywhere else.

What I did not realize moving here was that it appears that deep pockets seem to be what governs the very landscape of Sussex County. The voice of the people who live here seems to mean nothing.

I came from an area that has farms, as well as recreation, medical care, shopping, jobs and housing that meet different economic echelons — not just the wealthy. Development and growth takes place, but green space is protected and valued. All of this is done with good infrastructure and planning. I wrongly assumed that type of planning is universal.

Unfortunately, my observation is that only developer profit and the entities that have the most money are considered in Sussex County. I was told by one County Council member that, if “all the boxes are checked, what legal reason would there be to say no to Atlantic Fields?” If that’s the case, why even hold public hearings to ask for information, if nothing we say has any bearing on the decision? During the election, that same council member ran on the promise of curbing unchecked growth and even called for a moratorium on such growth in January 2025.

I and countless others have written letters and made calls with facts as to why the proposed location for Atlantic Fields is the wrong choice. I do not have faith that those facts are being considered. I do not have faith that any of those many communications were even read or heard.

The following facts prove that current infrastructure is not and will not be adequate:

• The Delaware Department of Transportation’s plan does not address the bridge over Love Creek until 2045. The council member’s response to this question was that “most drivers do not use Route 24.” I would counter with the data below provided by the developer’s own engineering firm. Atlantic Fields is projected to generate 26,271 daily vehicle trips on Del. 24. That’s in addition to the average daily volume of 18,591 vehicles year-round and 23,713 vehicles during the summer tourism season, according to 2022 data. Current traffic will double, to approximately 50,000-plus per day!
• The official record confirms that the proposed Costco gas station and underground fuel storage would be in a mapped wellhead protection area that supplies public drinking water. In its written response, the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control explicitly states that there is a risk of contamination from a petroleum release reaching the stormwater system.
• Under the federal Clean Water Act, Rehoboth Bay has been designated an “impaired waterway.” Based on preliminary information, stormwater near this project would travel through Love Creek into the Rehoboth Bay. That wastewater will contain, among other things, petroleum and other waste products, all filtering into the bay.
• Atlantic Fields would create a safety concern for two schools. This project would bring insurmountable, crippling gridlock that, in an emergency, will put safety and lives, including those of schoolchildren, at risk. Delaware is seventh among the 50 states for road rage incidents — that’s higher than New York, which is 46th! Do we want to add those situations directly next to Love Creek Elementary and Beacon Middle schools? What if our students have an emergency? How will first responders reach those schools, when they are at a standstill in nightmare gridlock?
• Evacuation routes for Sussex County have not been updated since 2007. Where is the updated plan for evacuation for the area — particularly for the two schools and the 18 neighborhoods near the proposed project?

So many Sussex County politicians (including some on County Council) have run on the promise of addressing unchecked sprawl.

I have watched for three years now, as countless homegrown Sussex County residents have pleaded with their government to stop the out-of-control growth that is destroying their quality of life, project by project.

I have attended hearings and have seen countless pages of documentation, with facts as to why this is the wrong location for Atlantic Fields. On the public docket alone, there were 617 comments, and 68% were opposed. Did County Council read those comments?

If this is approved, I will remember those politicians, and I (and I suspect many others) will vote differently next time around.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.