The Red Clay Creek, with its origin in Upland, Chester County Pennsylvania, passes through several miles of Northern New Castle County Delaware on its way to meeting the larger White Clay Creek in Stanton, Delaware.

The Red Clay Creek winds through some of the finest and most picturesque landscape in Northern Delaware. The Red Clay has a companion along most of its journey through Delaware as the historic Wilmington & Western Railroad tracks follow the Red Clay Creek from Yorklin, De to Marshalton, DE crossing the creek at several locations along the way.

The historic and environmental value of the Red Clay Creek, combined with the scenic beauty that it offers is a resource which should be protected, preserved and restored.

Thomas B. Lillard and Councilman Tim Sheldon at creekside, Faulkland Beach September 5, 2007

Mission Statement
The Red Clay Creek Watershed Conservancy of Delaware is founded with the purpose of preserving the creek and with the intent to offer programs that educate the public on the importance of the Red Clay, organize programs with volunteers to clean up and stabilize the creek, offer grants for research on documenting the ecological status of the creek, and to work with local governments, business, private individuals and other local non-profit organizations to develop programs for the ecological improvement of the Red Clay Creek in Delaware

Why is the Red Clay Creek Unhealthy?

Ecological Status of the Red Clay Creek -
Factors that Contribute to an Unhealthy Creek

• Storm drainage pipes and hillside runoffs empty into the creek -

The runoff water from the surrounding watershed contains pollutants from lawn fertilizers, oils, fuel and antifreeze from leaking cars and trucks, waste chemical pollutants which are dumped on fields and along roads, salts from driveways and roads used for ice and snow melting, pesticides and insecticides from residential and commercial sites, animal waste from yards and farms, and human waste from leaking septic drain fields and cess pools from older sites which are not tied to municipal sewer systems.

• Over Development of the Watershed

Once land is developed and trees are cut and cleared, the surface area of the land which can absorb rain and snow melt is decreased.

Aside from less water being returned into the ground and the impact this has on our aquifer, the rivers, creeks and runs of a watershed are forced to handle increase runoff. Once a certain point in over development is reached upon any watershed, localized flooding will worsen and increase over time.

The result is best depicted in photos of the Los Angles, CA area where concrete rivers have replaced natural rivers and creeks.

In Stanton Delaware during the 2003 hurricane season, the lack of "concrete rivers" in combination with the continual over development of the Red Clay Creek Watershed both in Pennsylvania and in Delaware contributed greatly to the result of entire neighborhoods and commercial properties being wiped off of the map.

Left unchecked in the future and combined with the global shift in climate underway, our state and county infrastructure will be under constant assault from runoff.

The Red Clay Creek is ours to protect and treasure.