Researchers release first-ever report on economic value of Del. Inland Bays

SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. – The Delaware Center for Inland Bays (CIB) and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program are revealing new details about just how crucial Delaware’s Inland Bays are to the local economy.

“A real surprise”

According to the first-ever Economic Value of the Delaware Inland Bays report, the First State’s coastline nets the local economy $4.5 billion dollars per year. The Bays are also credited in the report with providing over 35,000 jobs to locals. 89% of economic activity and 94% of the jobs are found in Sussex County, the report says.

“This was a real surprise for us. The numbers were just extraordinary in terms of the economic contributions,” said Chris Bason, co-author of the study. “This was the first ever look at the value of the Inland Bays. I think it makes a really big impact just to know how valuable these ecosystems are to the local economy.”

Lessons From the Water

Not only is the report revealing just how much cash ebbs and flows with the tide; Bason says it’s also providing valuable information for the future that could make or break the local economy.

“We’ve always know that there was intrinsic value of the Bays. But, putting a number on them is really helpful for formulating policy decisions around how they are managed,” said Bason.

In particular, Bason says the report is helpful in determining what kind of investments must be made to protect the Bays. “One of the findings of the report is that the return on investing in these Bays should be very high because the contributions that they provide to the economy are huge,” he said.

Investing in Water Quality, Reducing Pollution

Those investments could include efforts to improve water quality, according to Bason.

“We’ve got a tremendous asset here. The first thing we want to do is protect it to make sure that the already poor water quality in the Bays is not going to get worse. But, we also want to invest to the level that we’re restoring the water quality,” said Bason. “The reporting shows us that if we do that, there will actually be increased economic activity attributable to the Bays, and that’s a win for everybody.”

Bason says special attention needs to be paid towards reducing pollution in Delaware.

“The Bays are in bad shape because of nutrient pollution. There’s too much nitrogen and phosphorous causing algae blooms that can suck the oxygen out of the water and result in fish kills,” said Bason. “There are a lot of areas of the Bays that have improved. But, there are a lot of areas of the Bays that have not and are still in poor condition.”

Part of the solution could be following guidelines set out by the 2008 Inland Bays Pollution Control Strategy, says Bason. However, he adds that will take increased cooperation.

“Most of these are involuntary and in need of funding to get implemented. An example of this is restoring wetlands. There are over 4,000 acres of wetlands that need to be restored. Since the strategy was published in 2008, we’ve achieved about 4% of that goal,” said Bason.

Looking Inland

Another piece of the puzzle is to look inland. “There’s this great opportunity right now to take action to protect the forests and the wetlands that are absolutely critical to water quality while we still have the time to do that,” said Bason. “We need to be thinking about open space protection. Forests and wetlands naturally contribute clean water to the Bays.”

Bason says home developers will play a crucial role in achieving that mission. “As the coastal areas along the ocean start to fill up, and there’s no more land to use, the development has gone up along the tidal creeks, the Bays themselves,” he said. “It’s all interconnected, and I think it shows that the focus should be on this economic sector to help contribute to protecting the water quality and restoring the water quality of the Bays.”

Looking Ahead

Given the rapid development here in Sussex County, and the fluctuating economy, Bason says this initial report will serve as an important tool for any future studies. “I would expect that over time, the economic contributions will grow. We certainly hope so, because we have a plan to restore the water quality the Bays. Implementing that should result in those returns,” he said.

To read the full report, click here.