This financial assistance award will provide direct assistance to the university of delaware to remove over 11,000 pounds of debris from the upper delaware BAY

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the University of Delaware a $1.706 million cooperative agreement on October 1, 2025, under the Marine Debris Program (CFDA 11.999) to remove over 11,000 pounds of debris from the Upper Delaware Bay through October 1, 2028, with place of performance in Newark, Delaware.

The University of Delaware will install several interception devices to capture and remove marine debris and leverage the State of Delaware's Work-A-Day/Earn-A-Pay Program to maintain these devices. Project partners will host community cleanups, develop and deliver a train-the-trainer program focused on marine debris education for pre-existing youth programs serving the Route 9 Corridor, and support New Castle County's Great Schools, Clean Streams Challenge Program. The recipient will implement the Storm Drain Heroes Stewardship Training Program to train residents in protocols to safely clean around storm drains and provide education on litter and marine debris topics. The project will create and support at least 36 jobs and provide benefits to public health, safety, fishing, tourism, recreation, and the regional economy surrounding Delaware Bay. The award addresses litter and illegal dumping in Delaware's urban watershed communities, which harm Delaware's fisheries valued at $14.5 million and the approximately $340 million in wages directly tied to the bay.

Litter and illegal dumping are highly problematic in delawares densely populated urban watershed communities and greatly add to delaware bays marine debris burden, which can harm delawares fisheries and coastal-centric economy. Delawares fisheries are valued at $14.5 million, and roughly $340 million in delawares wages are directly tied to the BAY. The grantee will install several interception devices to capture and remove this marine debris and leverage the state of delawares work-a-day/earn-a-pay program to maintain these devices. Additionally, project partners will host community cleanups, develop and deliver a new train-the-trainer program focused on marine debris education for pre-existing youth programs that serve the route 9 corridor, and support new castle countys great schools, clean streams challenge program. Additionally, this project will implement the storm drain heroes stewardship training program, which will train residents in protocols to safely clean around storm drains and provide education on various aspects of litter and marine debris topics. This project will create and/or support at least 36 jobs and provide benefits to public health, safety, fishing, tourism, recreation, and the regional economy surrounding delaware BAY.