Perch Creek
View of Perch Creek flowing through forest
Photo credit: DNREC’s WATAR Program
Photo credit: DNREC’s WATAR Program
Other watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay Basin
Square Miles (total): 28.7
Square Miles (DE): 2.0
Population (total)*: 14,420
Population (DE)*: 2,415
States: DE, MD
Counties: DE: New Castle MD: Cecil County
Land use† in Perch Creek
Bohemia Creek • Broad Creek • C & D Canal West • Chester River • Choptank River • Deep Creek • Elk Creek • Gravelly Branch • Gum Branch • Marshyhope Creek • Nanticoke River • Pocomoke River • Sassafras River • Wicomico
Background
Perch Creek Watershed starts in a small area of Delaware, flows through Maryland and into the Chesapeake Bay.
Water Quality
EPA established a Total Maximum Daily Load for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment for the entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This TMDL requires reductions of approximately 24% for nitrogen and 20% for phosphorus between 2009 and 2025 from all of the Chesapeake watersheds within Delaware. Sediment loads from Delaware’s portion of the Chesapeake must remain at 2009 levels under this TMDL.
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
Chesapeake Watershed Implementation Plan
Delaware Watershed Plans
Delaware Whole Basin Reports
Delaware TMDLs
Chesapeake Watershed Implementation Plan
Delaware Watershed Plans
Delaware Whole Basin Reports
Perch Creek
Perch Creek quick stats
Square Miles (total): 28.7
Square Miles (DE): 2.0
Population (total)*: 14,420
Population (DE)*: 2,415
States: DE, MD
Counties: DE: New Castle MD: Cecil County
*US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year estimates, 2019
Land use† in Perch Creek
†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.