Delaware Height Modernization
Benefits
St. Jones Reserve located on the north shore of the St. Jones River, south of Dover in Kent County. Photo: Eric Crossan, DNREC.
Delaware can benefit from Height Modernization because accurate heights support critical infrastructure including transportation systems, airplane runways and water delivery systems. Additionally, Delaware is vulnerable to hazards such as hurricanes, nor'easters, and changing sea levels that will place some areas at risk from coastal storm surge and flooding. Height Modernization will support emergency management planning, land use planning and management, and elevation change monitoring to help address these additional challenges.
Projects
Kent Country Height Modernization
The accuracy of Delaware's vertical control network must be improved to provide coastal managers, public safety, transportation organizations and local officials with the necessary level of elevation confidence for planning and implementing coastal hazards mitigation and sea level rise adaptation strategies. Initial efforts are focused on major gaps in coverage in the western portion of the county, especially around state managed land, and in the eastern portion around the coastal communities and large tidal wetland areas. Led by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), this project is leveraging partnerships with many organizations including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Delaware Geologic Survey, the DNREC Coastal Program, the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, the DNREC Shoreline and Waterway Section, and NGS.
Contact Information
For additional inquiries, contact the State Geodetic Advisor Program or the National Height Modernization Program directly. State geodetic advisors serve as liaisons between NOAA and regional or state organizations.
