Wilmington Southbridge Wetlands Park

In addition to serving as a new park for the community, the Wilmington Southbridge Wetlands Park was designed as a stormwater management facility, to remediate and restore 22 acres of wetlands along the Christina River in the South Wilmington area. The project will reduce flooding during a typical rain event and address longstanding and ongoing issues of flooding and contamination.
The park features an ADA accessible boardwalk/on grade pathway designed to increase local walkability and recreational opportunities for Southbridge residents and visitors, as well as providing access to nearby jobs and retail shopping.

Building the Wetlands Park required the removal of contaminated soil from previous industrial activity. DNREC’s Remediation Section within the Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances and the Division of Water worked closely with the City and design team to develop a remediation plan for the site that is innovative, protective, cost effective, and consistent with site redevelopment plans.

The remediation included a strategic disposal of some of the excavated soils, and application of an enhanced SediMite™ technology to treat/destroy residual PCB contaminants in sediments. This is the same technology DNREC used in its A-Street Ditch pilot project, which connects the park to the Christina River.