The Delaware River Basin Commission this week released its Annual Report highlighting its accomplishments and challenges from 2011 and celebrating the Commission’s 50th Anniversary.

Carol Collier, DRBC Executive Director, said the five most significant accomplishments of the year were:

-- an effective and adaptive drought management plan that has greatly minimized conflict in the basin;

-- vastly improved water quality in the estuary and uniform instream standards for the shared waters;

-- creation of the Special Protection Waters Program (SPW) to protect the existing high water quality of the National Wild and Scenic-designated non-tidal river;

-- development of a flood mitigation strategy following the major floods of 2004–2006; and

-- development of an extensive monitoring, modeling, and assessment program to evaluate existing conditions and trends.  All of this could not have been done without the efforts of our state and federal agency partners, stakeholder involvement through our advisory committees, and an open public process.

“On our 50th anniversary, we remember where we’ve been and our many achievements, but we also look to the future,” said Collier. “While passing the 50-year mark might conjure images of a venerable DRBC, I want to move toward a more nimble DRBC, developing programs that reduce duplication of state programs and focus on the needs of the future.

“Times have changed since 1961, but I still firmly believe that river basin commissions are needed now more than ever. Holistic watershed management is the most environmentally and cost-effective way to manage water resources. We must now assess potential changes to the Delaware River Basin over the next 50 years and develop management strategies to increase resiliency and decrease risk.

“The emphasis must be on development of a sustainable water supply based on assessment of need (human and ecological), optimization of existing supply systems and instream flows, and nonstructural and structural alternatives.

“Water management in the future will be different than we have experienced in the past. Drivers of change will include population growth and re-distribution, evolution in energy production technologies, natural gas development in the headwaters, developing science on ecological flow needs, changes in how point and non-point source pollution are managed, greater need for flood protection, and last, but not least, climate change including sea level rise, increasing temperature, and precipitation pattern changes.

“Our watershed must be prepared so planning, monitoring, assessment, and direction-setting are essential.

“In order for the DRBC to be the effective tool to help the four states and federal government address the shared challenges facing the Delaware Basin over the next 50 years, its five signatory members also will need to give attention to the sustainable funding needs of the commission to carry out this important work.

“The 100-year compact creating the DRBC stipulates that the five signatory parties agree to support the commission’s annual current expense budget. Unfortunately, the compact gives the commission very few other revenue options to support our annual operating budget.

“My hope is that over the next 50 years the DRBC will receive the financial support as envisioned by President Kennedy and the four governors in 1961 when they signed the compact into law,” said Collier.

Although the report talks about DRBC’s expanded water monitoring program related to Marcellus Shale drilling and legal challenges pending against the Commission related to drilling, the report did not address a future schedule for considering DRBC’s regulations covering water withdrawals related to Marcellus development.

A copy of the Annual Report is available online.

12/17/2012