Thirty-three individuals representing federal, state, and local agencies attended and provided input and feedback for Delaware’s new marine debris emergency response guide. During the one-day workshop, participants verified agency roles and responsibilities, identified waterway debris response challenges, and shared content they would like to see in the response guide. Additionally, they were invited to comment on draft guidance documents, update contact information, network, brainstorm recommended actions, and identify remaining gaps/needs related to incident waterway debris response in Delaware.

Participants engaged in thoughtful discussion, with the following observations:

It is difficult to identify the responsible party for certain debris resulting from an incident. Continuing coordination between agencies is recommended.

It can be difficult to identify debris staging areas, so pre-planning efforts are very important

Incident waterway debris response should be included in future trainings and exercises. The list of invited audience members should be expanded to include all involved response agencies. 

A draft guide for Delaware is in progress and will include feedback captured from the recent workshop, as well as updated contact information from participating agencies. Additional information about the Marine Debris Program’s current emergency response efforts is available here.

For questions on Delaware’s emergency response planning, please contact Christy.Kehoe@noaa.gov or Jessica.Conway@noaa.gov.

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