By Kate Schmidt, Communications Specialist for the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC)
We’re all in this together.
White House ceremonial signing of the Delaware River Basin Compact. (DRBC archives)
While this phrase certainly has taken on new meaning recently, I wonder if President Kennedy was thinking something similar 60 years ago when he hosted the four Basin state governors and others in the White House for a ceremonial signing of the Delaware River Basin Compact on November 2, 1961. The Compact, which created the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), granted broad basin management authorities to the Commission, including the establishment of water quality standards and regulation of discharges.
Kennedy remarked:
“Today’s formal signing of the Delaware River Basin Compact is a significant event. …We are glad to join with Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania in this bold venture. The task set for the Commission will not be easy to achieve, but we are confident that the cooperation that has brought forth this Compact will endure, and that working together real progress can be made for the people of the Basin.”
(From L to R) DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini, N.J. Governor Phil Murphy, Pa. Governor Tom Wolf, and Del. Governor John Carney at the Delaware River Governors’ Leadership Summit. (DRBC)
Flash forward to May 2019, when the governors of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania met in Philadelphia for the Delaware River Governors’ Leadership Summit. At the Summit, the governors reaffirmed they will continue to work together as equal partners – through the DRBC and beyond – for the people and wildlife that depend on a healthy and resilient Delaware River Basin. The event was organized by the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed and other watershed organizations.
A quick hop to 2021, DRBC’s 60th anniversary and a chance to reflect on this milestone and our role in planning the Delaware River Sojourn, a paddling and camping trip that highlights experiential learning about our environment.
What unites these topics? Simply put, connections.
We’re all in this together.
Connecting Data & Policy
The DRBC has been instrumental in making connections throughout its 60 years of managing, protecting and improving the water resources of the Delaware River Basin.
From the beginning, we’ve focused on the important connection between scientific data and policy. In fact, the tenet you cannot manage what you do not measure is the foundation of our water quality and water planning programs. Over the years, the DRBC has successfully implemented policies and regulations based on sound science to clean up Basin waterways, ensure sustainable water supply and plan for future water needs.
One reason the DRBC was formed was to address serious water pollution problems in the Delaware River Estuary, especially near Philadelphia, Camden and Wilmington. The pollution was so severe that in the summer and early fall, this section of river was considered a “dead zone,” devoid of dissolved oxygen needed for fish and other aquatic life to survive.
The DRBC got to work right away. In 1967, still several years before the creation of the U.S. EPA & the passage of the Clean Water Act, the DRBC adopted water quality criteria; in 1968, the DRBC adopted regulations to enforce the criteria.
This prompted then-Interior Secretary Stewart Udall to say, “Only the Delaware among the nation’s river basins is moving into high gear in its program to combat water pollution.”
And, for the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration to observe, “This is the only place in the country where such a procedure is being followed. Hopefully, it will provide a model for other regulatory agencies.”
These accomplishments were just the beginning.
Over the next 53 years, the DRBC connected scientific data and policy to:
Lead a collaborative effort to clean up the river's heavily polluted waters, allowing for the recovery of resident and migratory fish populations.
Determine that existing water quality is better than standard in the river’s non-tidal reach; the DRBC’s Special Protection Waters Program was developed to ensure water quality in this part of the Basin does not degrade.
Work with dischargers to develop site-specific plans to reduce concentrations of toxic PCBs, thereby reducing runoff into Basin waterways.
Manage water supplies to ensure there’s enough water for all needs in the Basin, even during times of drought. Over the years, the DRBC has successfully managed drought in the Basin, from the 1960s drought of record to periods of drought in the 1980s and early 2000s; the Commission remains a leader in water conservation and flow and drought management to this day.
Study trends in water withdrawals to better understand how water is used in the Basin and to project how much water will be needed in the future for a variety of water use sectors.
Support flood loss reduction efforts in the Basin by developing a flood task force report and working with partners and stakeholders to implement its recommendations.
Protect Basin water quality by prohibiting high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Basin.
Investigate how impacts from climate change – sea level rise, more frequent, intense storms coupled with extended drought periods and increasing temperatures – will affect the Basin.
Further improve dissolved oxygen levels in the Delaware Estuary to protect endangered species and increase fish propagation.
Develop strategies to monitor and mitigate contaminants of emerging concern, for example, PFAS.
Through science, regulation, investment, cooperation and hard work, one of the most polluted waterways in the nation has recovered and is thriving.
We’re all in this together.
Connecting to the River
The connections that the DRBC has fostered for the Delaware River Basin throughout its 60-year history go beyond science and policy.
To quote Sir David Attenborough, “No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” The Commission couldn’t agree more and has prioritized education and recreation programs to engage and connect people to the river.
In 1966, the first edition of the DRBC’s Delaware River Recreation Maps were published. These maps, printed on waterproof paper, were designed to be taken on the water and show access points, channel depths and rapids’ designations. Considered an excellent resource for river recreation enthusiasts, the maps remain popular and are currently in their fourth edition.
Paddlers on the Delaware River Sojourn, 2019
In 1995, the first Delaware River Sojourn was held. A week-long guided paddling and camping trip on the Delaware River, the Sojourn combines on-water experiences and educational learning opportunities. By helping connect people to their local waterways, the Sojourn encourages stewardship of these shared resources. For 26 years, the connections fostered by the Sojourn have not only introduced more people to paddling and to the Delaware River but have also made people more aware of how their actions and daily habits can affect our environment. The DRBC has been a proud supporter of the Delaware River Sojourn since its beginning. Since 2006, I have represented the DRBC on the Sojourn Steering Committee, which plans and organizes this annual, not-for-profit event. I truly enjoy working with this group of dedicated people who all strongly believe in the Sojourn’s mission. And, please save the dates! The 2022 Delaware River Sojourn will be held June 17-25.
In addition to the Sojourn, DRBC staff participates in a variety of outreach and education events throughout the year and manages the online public outreach effort Our Shared Waters: A Look at the Delaware River Basin. Whether sharing information about the Basin and Commission programs at community events, in the classroom, online, at conferences or otherwise with partners and peers, staff recognizes that connecting with our publics and stakeholders is vital to help share information about what we do and why it is important.
Trenton River Days, 2019. (DRBC)
These educational and experiential opportunities allow people to connect with and learn about their local waterways and hopefully will get them thinking about water and wanting to help protect the resource.
We’re all in this together.
Connecting People
Public participation is a key ingredient in the Commission’s decision-making process. In fact, all DRBC decisions must be made in public after the public has had an opportunity to provide input. Meetings of the Commission and its advisory committees are open to the public.
Through the DRBC, people can connect with decision makers and others interested in water management. People can learn from one another and see how folks are working together for clean, sustainable water resources. The Basin benefits from everyone being involved, from small, on-the-ground efforts like localized cleanups to large-scale top-down regulatory review by the DRBC and its member agencies. The DRBC values its partners and stakeholders in government, NGOs, non-profits, academia, business, industry and agriculture.
Also valued are its relationships with members of the regulated community. In 2018, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives State Government Committee held a public hearing to receive testimony from individuals and entities that are regulated by the Commission. Multiple entities regulated by DRBC, as well as several legislators with districts in the Basin, wrote letters in support of DRBC, saying its programs are beneficial to Basin communities, staff are responsive and dedicated and that the Commission provides balanced, science-based oversight. As one water authority summarized and another echoed, “the DRBC is not only essential to our continued operations, but also a critical element in our continued success in satisfying the water needs of our service area.”
While the pandemic made us quickly pivot how we hold meetings and public hearings, we have found that utilizing online meeting platforms allowed us to connect with a larger audience. Ensuring everyone has a chance to participate in the public process connects them to one another and to the bigger picture of basin wide water resource management. We will continue to explore ways to expand these opportunities.
We also recognize that our work is stronger when diverse voices are included and heard; when every individual is valued and can fulfill their potential in our Basin communities; and when all the Basin’s water users share equally in the benefits and stewardship of our shared water resources. Staff are currently developing a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice strategic plan for the Commission.
We’re all in this together.
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
While much has changed, the “bold venture” that President Kennedy referenced in his 1961 remarks is as important today as it was 60 years ago. The complex interstate systems that support water resources throughout the Basin still exist and need dynamic coordination, management and protection.
We are proud of what has been accomplished and stand ready to address the challenges of the future. Looking ahead, the mission for the DRBC today is the same as it was in 1961 and in 1986: work across political boundaries to provide water security for the 13.3 million people who depend on an adequate, equitable, sustainable and resilient flow of clean and healthy water. By focusing on the connections – science to policy, people to the river and to one another – the DRBC ensures that the water resources of the Basin are properly managed and protected and that they will continue to be improved, benefiting and supporting all who depend on them.
We’re all in this together.
Kate Schmidt has served as the Communications Specialist for the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) since 2005. Learn more about the DRBC at https://www.drbc.gov.