Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2010DE190B

Resurfacing Silver Brook Stream and Comparison to Connected Water Bodies

Institute: Delaware
Year Established: 2010 Start Date: 2010-06-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $1,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $3,000

Principal Investigators: Chad Nelson, Hannah Starke

Project Summary: The University of Delaware recently purchased the ~275 acre Chrysler automobile assembly plant in Newark, Delaware and plans to use the property to expand research, academic, and outreach functions of the University. Since the acquisition of the Chrysler plant, interest in day-lighting an underground stream that runs through the property has emerged. The stream runs roughly northwest to southeast and is known as Silver Brook Stream. In the interest of the restoration of Silver Brook Stream as well as the future water quality of the stream, documentation and assessment of surrounding tributaries and connected water bodies is informative and essential.The impact of riparian zones has been repeatedly demonstrated to be beneficial to water quality. Therefore, the observation and documentation of the morphology and biological communities of stream banks and creeks surrounding Silver Brook Stream will be beneficial for informing its future restoration. Documentation of native and non-native vegetative and aquatic life, erosion, and water quality will all be used to create an assessment of the overall stream health. This documentation will then be synthesized into information that can be utilized in the restoration of Silver Brook Stream. Research will also be done on other case studies involving resurfacing underground streams, the history of Silver Brook Stream as an above ground and below-ground waterway, as well as the mapping of Silver Brook Stream. In an attempt to amalgamate all of this information, a capstone design and a website summarizing field research will be created that demonstrates recommendations for restoring Silver Brook Stream.