Little Mill Creek, New Castle County, DE

USACE Philadelphia District
Published Feb. 22, 2023
Work on the upper reach of Little Mill Creek was completed in 2007 and included channel improvements from the Kirkwood Highway Bridge to the CSX Wilsmere Railroad Yard Bridge. Work on the lower reach will consist of deepening and widening the existing channel to increase flow capacity and reduce flood damages to more than fifty businesses and commercial properties along Germay and Brookside Drives.

Work on the upper reach of Little Mill Creek was completed in 2007 and included channel improvements from the Kirkwood Highway Bridge to the CSX Wilsmere Railroad Yard Bridge. Work on the lower reach will consist of deepening and widening the existing channel to increase flow capacity and reduce flood damages to more than fifty businesses and commercial properties along Germay and Brookside Drives.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: DE-AL

APPROPRIATION / PHASE:  Continuing Authorities / Design and Implementation

BUSINESS PROGRAM: Flood Damage Reduction

AUTHORITY:  This project is authorized under Section 205 of the Flood Control Act of 1948, as amended.

LOCATION:  The project area is Little Mill Creek, a tributary of the Christina River in New Castle County, Delaware.

DESCRIPTION: Residents and businesses along Little Mill Creek experience flooding.  Several conditions contribute to the flooding problems in the project area: decades of urbanization, short duration, high intensity storms, and long duration storms.  The project area was divided into upper and lower reaches. The Upper Reach portion of the Little Mill Creek project was completed in 2008. The State of Delaware, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the non-Federal sponsor for the project along with New Castle County and the New Castle Conservation District executed a PPA to construct the Lower Reach channel. The lower reach extends from the AMTRAK Railroad right of way upstream to the Delaware Route 4 (Maryland Avenue) Bridge. Work on the lower reach consists of widening and deepening the channel to increase flow capacity and reduce flood damages to over fifty businesses and commercial properties along Germay, Brookside and Meco Drives. The channel was deepened 3 feet and widened to a bottom width of 30 feet for a total length of 2,170 feet.  The work included removal and remediation of some minor contaminated channel and bank material. 

STATUS: New Castle County acquired all real estate needed for construction including two parcel easements by eminent domain. Construction began in spring 2014 and was completed in November 2015.

 

PROJECT GOALS: The purpose of this project was to widen and deepen the existing channel to increase flow capacity and reduce flood damages to over fifty businesses and commercial properties along Germay, Brookside and Meco Drives. 

Non-Federal Sponsors: State of Delaware, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, New Castle County Special Services and New Castle Conservation District

Date of Project Agreement: 23 June 2009      

Completion Date: Nov 2015

Non-Federal Share: 35%