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Choptank River Watershed
8 Digit Hydrologic Unit Code - 02060005
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Surf Your Watershed is a service to help you locate, use, and
share environmental information about your state and watershed.
Introduction
The Choptank River 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subbasin covers
62,191 acres. The entire Delaware portion of the subbasin is located in Kent
County. There are 115 farms located in the subbasin . The average farm size
is 257 acres, but about 5 percent of the farms are between 500 and 1,000
acres and another 5 percent exceed 1,000 acres in size.
There are 29,555 acres in farms in the watershed with 459 acres enrolled in
the Conservation Reserve Program. Approximately 86 percent of the farmland
or 25,417 acres is cropland. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops
grown on about 85 percent of the acreage. Vegetables are grown on 14 percent
of the acreage and hay and pasture account for the remaining one percent.
Livestock operations are primarily based on poultry production. |
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Physical Description
Landuse Urban Agriculture Confined Feeding Forest Wetland Water Other Total
| Landuse
| Urban
| Agriculture
| Confined Feeding
| Forest
| Wetland
| Water
| Other
| Total
|
| Acers |
2,049 |
30,946 |
63 |
27,716 |
34 |
92 |
1,291 |
62,191 |
| Percent | 3.3 |
49.7 |
.01 |
44.5 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
2.1 |
100.0 |
Source: Delaware Non-Point Source Pollution Assessment Report, based on 1984
land use
Soils
Primary soils in the watershed include:
- Pocomoke-Fallsington-Saasafras
The Pocomoke-Fallsington-Saasafras association accounts for the majority
of soils in the watershed, but only about 13 Percent of the soils in
Kent County. The landscape is mostly level, but there are some
depressions and a few very gently sloping ridges, mainly in the vicinity
of Hartly and Marydel. Pocomoke soils are very poorly drained and
friable. Pocomoke soils have a high water table and in there natural
state are too wet for any use more intensive than woodland and wildlife
habitat. If thoroughly drained artificially, they are used for farming.
Fallsington soils are poorly drained and friable and the water table is
at or near the surface much of the year in areas that have not been
artificially drained. If adequately drained they are suitable for crops,
but poor natural drainage and high water tables severely limit there use
for building sites. Fallsington soils are mainly in woodland but in
areas that have been drained they are used intensively for corn and
soybean production.
Sassafras soils are well drained and in some places are gently sloping.
They generally have few limitations and are intensively farmed.
Resource Concerns
The primary resource concern in the watershed is nutrient loading to
ground and surface waters. In order to meet the basic Tier I requirement for
inclusion in the CSP program farm operators must be addressing nutrient
issues in their conservation plans. To qualify for Tier II farm operators
must be focused on addressing wildlife habitat issues in their farm plans.
The state has designated the surface waters in the watershed of medium
concern for water quality, however, the ground water in the watershed has a
medium to high water quality concern. Ground water provided through private
and municipal wells is the major source of water for agriculture, industry
and residential drinking water in the watershed. Base flow provided by
ground water is also considered the primary supplier of fresh water to
streams and is a very direct source of nutrients and other pollutants to
surface waters.
Census and Social Data
The total population of the watershed based on the 2000 census is 63,900
people. The annual median household income in the area is $40,950.
Approximately 10.7 percent of the people have living standards below the
national poverty level. The estimated number and percentage of people by
race in the watershed is as follows:
| Watershed |
Total |
White |
Black or
African American |
American Indian |
Asian | Some Other Race
Hispanic or Latino |
Some Other Race |
| Choptank |
63,900 |
46,136 |
13,291 |
383 |
1,150 |
2,109 |
831 |
| Percent | 100.0 |
72.2 |
20.8 |
0.6 |
1.8 |
3.3 |
1.3 |
Farm Community
The information in the following table was compiled based on data from
the 2002 Census of Agriculture. It can be used to estimate the potential
number of limited resource, and beginning or new farmers in the watershed.
| Watershed |
Total Farms
| Number of
Farms |
Principal Operators | New
Operators |
| Less than median size |
With sales less than $40,000 |
Male
| Female
| Non-White |
Less than 3 years on farm |
|
Choptank River | 115 |
54 |
69 |
104 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
|
Percent | 100.0 |
47 |
60 |
90.4 |
10.4 |
2.6 |
1.0 |
For General and Application Information,
visit the NRCS CSP home page.
Counties in the Choptank Watershed
Technical Information Maps of the Choptank River Watershed
The Following Documents Require
Adobe Acrobat
NOTE: The MB Files are Very Large and will require time to Download
| File Description |
Map Thumbnail |
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choptankhydro.pdf
(1.5 MB) – This map portrays the network of streams that run through the
Choptank River Watershed. The base layer is comprised of the new 2006
orthoimagery. Some, but not all, of the major ditches, creeks, branches, and prongs
found throughout this watershed are labeled. |
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choptanklulc.pdf
(137 KB) - This map portrays the different uses of land in the
Choptank River Watershed. Farming and forestry are the two biggest land
uses. The legend file shows what the colors stand for and can be looked
at in PDF format.
lulclegend.pdf
(14.6 KB) – Note: Legend document for choptanklulc.pdf file. |
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choptankroads.pdf
(1.5 MB) – This map portrays the network of roads that run through the
Choptank River Watershed. The base layer is comprised of the new 2006
orthoimagery. The roads layer was created by DelDOT last year and the
centerlines match up perfectly with each road. Some, but not all, of the major roads
found throughout this watershed are labeled. |
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choptanksid.pdf
(1.5 MB) – This map portrays USDA’s 2006 NAIP Ortho product for the
Choptank River Watershed. The imagery is true-color, which means it
lacks the reddish tint of the 2002 ortho. The map scale is 1:12,000 and
has a 1-meter resolution. |
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choptanksoils.pdf
(516 KB) – This map portrays the most up-to-date soils for the Choptank
River Watershed. The legend file shows what the colors stand for and
their symbols.
choptanksoilslegend.pdf
(16.7 KB) – Note: Legend document for choptanksoils.pdf file. |
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choptanktopo.pdf
(17 KB)
– This map portrays the elevation and contour lines that makes up the
Choptank River Watershed. Some, but all, roads, various landmarks, and water
bodies are labeled. |
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choptankwaterbody.pdf
(1.5 MB) – There is one significant body of water found throughout the
Choptank River Watershed. The pond sits on the western edge of the
watershed boundary and straddles the border between Delaware and
Maryland. |
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Watershed Contact - Delaware
Paul Petrichenko, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs
Phone: 302-678-4180
Art Walker, GIS Specialist
(302) 678-4183
(302) 678-0843 (Fax)
(302) 233-2555 (Work Cell)
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