This document discusses planning for the future of the Delaware River Basin. It summarizes key facts about the basin, including its size, population that relies on its waters, and status as an outstanding regional resource with exceptional water quality. It identifies several issues facing the basin, such as water supply and quality challenges from climate change impacts like sea level rise and drought, as well as energy and natural gas development needs. It stresses the need for holistic, basin-wide solutions and collaboration across states to sustainably manage the shared water resources into the future with minimal funds.

1. Planning for the Future
of the
Delaware River Basin
Carol R. Collier, AICP
Executive Director
Delaware River Basin
Commission

2. 2006 Land Use/Land Cover
NOAA CSC
WATER
BARREN
2%
<1%
WETLANDS
8%
DEVEL
15%
FOREST
6,288
mi2
BASIN
AG
26%
49%
WETLANDS WATER
2%
6%
BARREN
DEVEL
10%
FOREST
1925
mi2
58%
CENTRAL
AG
24%
WETLANDS
3%
WATER
2%
FOREST
BARREN
2,778
mi2
AG 13%
81%
UPPER REGION
DEVEL
1%

3. Outstanding Regional
Resource





Exceptional water
quality
Exceptional source
water
Ecological diversity
~75% of non-tidal
river part of National
Wild and Scenic
Rivers System
100% of non-tidal
river is Special
Protection Waters

4. Delaware River
Watershed Facts




Over 15 million people
(about 5% of the U.S.
population) rely on the
waters of the basin
Drains 13,539 mi² , or 0.4
of 1% of the continental
U.S. land area
Longest undammed river
east of the Mississippi
Daily water withdrawal in
the DRB = 8.7 BGD
1
5

5. Head of Tide

6. Delaware River Port Complex – Largest Fresh Water Port

7. Salt Line
(250 mg/l, 7 day avg)
Water Supply Intakes
RM 110
1960’s Maximum
M O N TH
Normal
R.M. 77
Ja n
Fe b
Ma r
Ap r
Ma y
J un
J ul
Aug
Se p
Oct
N ov
Dec
A V G . M I D -M O N TH
L O C A TI O N
68
68
67
61
64
67
72
77
79
81
80
74
Data for determination provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kimberly Clark Corp.

8. Holistic Basin Management
Is A Necessity!
 There
is not enough water for all uses
during drought conditions
 Water needed for other uses –

Navigation, ecological
flows, recreation, wastewater assimilative
capacity
 More
Complex – boundary of four states

9. Interconnected Water Resources

10. Fish Consumption
Advisories

11. DRBC
Special Protection Waters Program
―It is the policy of
the Commission
that there be no
measurable change
to existing water
quality except
towards natural
conditions …‖

12. Water Quality
 Federal Wild and Scenic
River Designation – ¾ of
non-tidal river
 Total non-tidal river and
its watershed designated
DRBC Special Protection
Waters
 Mainstem = longest
stretch of anti-degradation
waters in U.S.
 No measurable change in
water quality

13. Vulnerability of Headwaters

Headwaters are the
most sensitive areas
of a watershed

Existing contiguous
forest is critical to
water quantity and
quality

Philadelphia Source
Water Protection
Analysis
 #1 – Change in
Delaware River
Headwaters

14. Aerial view of a Marcellus Shale well site near Waynesburg, Pa. (MICHAEL BRYANT / Phila. Inquirer Photographer )

15. Issues knocking
on our door
Sea Level Rise
More Intense Storms
Summer Droughts

16. Rutgers – Office of State Climatologist

17. Flood Mitigation

19. Regional Changes—
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic U.S.
N o rth east U S S ea level tren d s, 1950-1999
(m m /yr)
0 .0 0
E a stp o rt, M E
B a r Ha rb o r, M E
P o rtla n d , M E
B o sto n , M A
W o o d s Ho le , M A
Ne wp o rt, R I
1 .0 0
2 .0 0
3 .0 0
4 .0 0
5 .0 0
In the Northeast/MidAtlantic U.S., sea level
is rising much faster
than the global
average, most likely
due to local land
subsidence.
P ro vid e n ce , R I
Ne w L o n d o n , C T
M o n ta u k, NY
W ille ts P o in t, NY
T h e B a tte ry, NY
S a n d y Ho o k, NJ
Inferred subsidence
rates are -0.6 to 2.7
mm yr-1.
A tla n tic C ity, NJ
P h ila d e lp h ia , P A
L e we s, D E
B a ltim o re , M D
A n n a p o lis, M D
S o lo m o n s Isla n d , M D
W a sh in g to n , D C
G lo u ce ste r P o in t, V A
S e we lls P o in t, V A
G lo b a l a ve ra g e
Source – Ray Najjar
Over the 21st
Century, this is an
additional sea-level
rise of -6 to 27 cm.
Sources: Zervas
(2001), Church et al. (2004)

20. Water-level change at Philadelphia
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
Source: NOAA (2011)

21. Salt Line
(250 mg/l, 7 day avg)
Water Supply Intakes
RM 110
1960’s Maximum
M O N TH
Normal
R.M. 77
Ja n
Fe b
Ma r
Ap r
Ma y
J un
J ul
Aug
Se p
Oct
N ov
Dec
A V G . M I D -M O N TH
L O C A TI O N
68
68
67
61
64
67
72
77
79
81
80
74
Data for determination provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kimberly Clark Corp.

22. Water Intakes at Risk from Drought and Sea Level Rise:
location of the salt line at high tide during drought
Power
• Exelon Delaware
Generating Station
• Exelon Richmond
Generating Station
• Philadelphia Gas
Works Richmond
Industrial
• Koch Material Co.
• NGC Industries
• Rohm and Haas
Philadelphia
• MacAndrew and
Forbes Co.
• Pennwalt Corporation
• Sunoco
Public Supply
• Torresdale Water
Intake (provides
• almost 60% of
Philadelphia’s water
supply)
• New Jersey American
Water Co. Tri-County
Water Treatment Plant

23. Will We Have Enough Water?
 More
water needed to control salt line
 Existing reservoirs will not be as effective
with intense storms. Green and grey
infrastructure solutions
 DRBC Strategy for Sustainable
Water Resources – 2060


Develop resiliency
Shot-term; long-term

24. Sustainable Water Resources 2060
– Change and Location
 Energy Generation – Water Footprint
 Ecological Flows
 Natural Gas Development?
 Point and Non-Point Pollution
 Climate Change
 Population

Sea level rise, intense storms, droughts

25. Needs
 Need



to look holistically –
Water system
Geography
Stakeholders
 Upstream
Impacts on Downstream
 Downstream needs driving upstream mgt.
 Basin-wide Solutions
 Plan Basin-wide; Implement locally

26. We need your help to manage the resource
www.DRBC.net

28. Key Issues
 Water


Quality
PCBs, nutrients and emergent contaminants
Keeping the Clean Water Clean
 Water
for Energy
 Natural Gas Development
 Climate Change


Sea level rise
Floods and droughts

29. POTENTIAL IMPACTS
– Major Water Supplies – Trenton
 Flood Mitigation – Reservoir Storage
 Land Use Changes in Headwaters
 Salinity

Loss of forests, increased impervious
 Water
 Big


Quality Degradation
Changes in Water Management Needed
Place-based assessment and solutions
IWRM

30. How to Proceed With Minimal Funds
 Benefit
of good data sets
 Working with Federal Agencies

USGS – Water Census Pilot
• Ecological Flows
• Water Use Updates – 2010 data, energy sector
• WATERS Model – Scenario testing

NOAA – IWRSS
• Mid-Atlantic Basins Pilot

USACE
• Salinity – Flow Model
• State Collaborative – Proof of Concept