Little Assawoman
View of the sunset over water near Fenwick Island
Photo credit: Sharri Borowski
Photo credit: Sharri Borowski
Other watersheds in the Inland Bays Basin
Square Miles: 33.1
Population*: 12,563
States: DE
Counties: DE: Sussex
Land use† in Little Assawoman
Assawoman • Buntings Branch • Indian River • Indian River Bay • Iron Branch • Lewes-Rehoboth Canal • Rehoboth Bay
Background
The Little Assawoman watershed is a subwatershed of the Little Assawoman Bay and is located in the south central section of Sussex County. The major drainage areas in the watershed include Dirickson Creek and Miller Creek.
Little Assawoman Bay makes up one of three of Delaware’s Inland Bays. The Inland Bays consist of three interconnected bodies of water – Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and Little Assawoman Bay – all located in southeastern Sussex County. The Little Assawoman, Assawoman, and Buntings Branch watersheds are all part of the Little Assawoman Bay, and drain an area that extends from the Assawoman Canal to its confluence with Little Assawoman Bay on the southeast coast of Delaware.
The land use of the watershed is made up primarily of agriculture and wetlands.
Little Assawoman Bay makes up one of three of Delaware’s Inland Bays. The Inland Bays consist of three interconnected bodies of water – Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and Little Assawoman Bay – all located in southeastern Sussex County. The Little Assawoman, Assawoman, and Buntings Branch watersheds are all part of the Little Assawoman Bay, and drain an area that extends from the Assawoman Canal to its confluence with Little Assawoman Bay on the southeast coast of Delaware.
The land use of the watershed is made up primarily of agriculture and wetlands.
Water Quality
There are nutrient and bacteria TMDLs for the Little Assawoman Bay Watershed which requires a 40% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus, 40% reduction in freshwater nonpoint bacteria, 23% reduction in marine nonpoint bacteria, and a cap on point source bacteria at a geometric mean concentration level of 35 CFU enterococcus/100mL.
This watershed has sites sampled for a consistent suite of environmental contaminants. These contaminants are broadly classified as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs), Pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Metals as listed using USEPA and DNREC defined standards. When sites are adjacent to water bodies sediment samples are collected to assess potential impact from a site on the health of the waters. Learn more information specific to this watershed from the DNREC Advanced Facility Search Tool.
This watershed has sites sampled for a consistent suite of environmental contaminants. These contaminants are broadly classified as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs), Pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Metals as listed using USEPA and DNREC defined standards. When sites are adjacent to water bodies sediment samples are collected to assess potential impact from a site on the health of the waters. Learn more information specific to this watershed from the DNREC Advanced Facility Search Tool.
Plants and Wildlife
Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife conducts on-going inventories of natural communities as well as rare and declining species, (e.g., state and globally-rare plants, birds, insects, mussels, reptiles, and amphibians). It maintains a database, both electronic and manual, of its findings throughout the state. Learn more about the wildlife and plant communities in this watershed from the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Programs.
In addition, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, working with the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration – Water Resources Center, maintains online databases about plants and plant communities in Delaware. Learn more about the plant communities in this watershed from the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.
In addition, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, working with the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration – Water Resources Center, maintains online databases about plants and plant communities in Delaware. Learn more about the plant communities in this watershed from the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Further Resources
For more detailed information on this watershed, its water quality and resources, check out the following resources:
Delaware TMDLs
Delaware Watershed Plans
Delaware Whole Basin Reports
Center for Inland Bays
Delaware TMDLs
Delaware Watershed Plans
Delaware Whole Basin Reports
Center for Inland Bays
Little Assawoman
Little Assawoman quick stats
Square Miles: 33.1
Population*: 12,563
States: DE
Counties: DE: Sussex
*US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year estimates, 2019
Land use† in Little Assawoman
†Land use source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024, Annual NLCD Collection 1 Science Products (ver. 1.1, June 2025): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P94UXNTS.