Naamans' Creek

Naamans Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in northeast New Castle County, Delaware and extreme southeast Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The creek has two main branches (North and South) each about 6 miles in length; the North Branch drains residential and commercial areas in Pennsylvania west of Marcus Hook, while the South Branch drains a similar area in Delaware. The stream rises near the intersection of Foulk Road and Naamans Creek Road in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania and discharges directly into the Delaware River in Claymont, Delaware. Most of this basin is non-tidal but there is a tidal dam located on lower Naamans Creek.

The watershed is primarily urban residential, industrial and commercial. Water-yielding potential is low and only one shallow public water-supply well is found in the upper part of the basin. No other Water Resource Protection Areas are found in the watershed.

There are TMDLs in the Naamans Creek Watershed that require a 78% reduction in bacteria and caps on phosphorus and nitrogen loads.
The Naamans Creek watershed has the following use designations: Primary Contact Recreation, Secondary Contact Recreation, Fish, Aquatic Life, and Wildlife, Agricultural Water Supply for freshwater segments, and Industrial Water Supply.

Within the Naamans Creek, three point source facilities are located in the area east of Rt. 13 including CitiSteel, General Chemical Corporation, and Sun Co. However, most of their discharges go into the Delaware River. The only possible direct discharge to Naamans Creek is from CitiSteel's storm water outfalls.

The Naamans Creek Watershed has thirteen sites listed in the Site Investigation and Restoration Section database. Ten sites are state-fund lead (HSCA) sites, and three sites are in the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP).

Each of the sites is sampled through the program listed above for a consistent suite of environmental contaminants. These contaminants are broadly classified as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs), Pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Metals as listed using USEPA and DNREC defined standards. When sites are adjacent to water bodies sediment samples are collected to assess potential impact from a site on the health of the waters.

If you would like to view reports for any of the sites in the SIRS program please follow the link the DNREC Environmental Navigator to search by map for the Naamans Creek Watershed.

Slopes are relatively steep. Soil types within the watershed include Neshaminy-Aldino- Wachung association described by the Natural Conservation Service as "well drained, moderately well drained and poorly drained, medium textured soils" with moderately fine or fine subsoils.

The watershed is served by a good system of community parks operated by New Castle County and the northern section of Fox Point State Park lies along a substantial portion of the Delaware River shoreline. The towns of Arden, Ardentown, and Ardencroft, which are located in the watershed, have parks and open space within their corporate boundaries. Many of these areas are connected by a system of pedestrian trails.

Fish and wildlife recreational opportunities are limited within the watershed because of its small size and high human population density. Recreational hunting is extremely limited due to safety concerns. Recreational fishing and boating opportunities are primarily limited to a few tributaries of the Delaware River and several private ponds scattered throughout this area. Fox Point State Park provides the only public fishing area in the watershed. This state park provides some shoreline fishing of the Delaware River.

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Analysis for Naamans Creek, Delaware

Piedmont Basin Preliminary Assessment Report

Decision Rationale Total Maximum Daily Load and Water Quality Analysis for Naamans Creek, New Castle County, Delaware