A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Paying for Cleanup of Delaware Waterways

Delaware Center for Inland Bays

A Delaware task force says that the state needs to do more to clean up its waterways.

So, it has proposed that the First State’s residents shell out $40 to $80 a year to pay for it.

This would be added to an individual’s income taxes with a $45 surcharge on business license fees.

The Wilmington News Journal reports that officials say that would raise around $20 million each year.

That money would then go to deal with cleaning up pollution and investment in infrastructure.

The Wilmington News Journal reports that the panel was made up of 30 member including legislators, business leaders, environmentalists and representatives from agriculture.

The task force said that 90 percent of the state’s waterways suffer from some form of pollution.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.