How much is the water of the Upper Delaware River worth?  It’s priceless, according to conservationists, business owners, flyfishers and government officials who participated in the fourth annual Water Water Everywhere conference, held last week near Hancock, NY.

About 100 people attended the conference on October 15 and 16 at the West Branch Angler & Resort. The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Upper Delaware River, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Upper Delaware River region.

The event is held each year to give river stakeholders and government officials the opportunity to discuss the Delaware River, an invaluable natural resource asset that serves millions of residents from its headwaters in the Catskills 400 miles downstream to the Delaware Bay.

“Our job, and the purpose of this event,  is to educate and engage river advocates on the benefits of what a healthy river system means to not only our community but to our friends who share the water that flows out of our region downstream to Delaware Bay and into the ocean,” said Jeff Skelding, executive director of FUDR.

The conference began with a report by Tom Shepstone, a Wayne County consultant and businessman, who shared his draft economic impact study on how protecting and restoring the Upper Delaware River coldwater fishery through improved water releases and other conservation efforts can benefit the regional economy.

A number of conference attendees, included many fishermen and -women and fishing-related business owners, said the initial numbers attributed to various forms of river recreation appeared to undervalue the resource.

Shepstone said, "The numbers might seem a bit low and I may have missed a few things that need to be reconsidered. But the numbers I am presenting today are credible and very substantial to the local economy. This is only an initial draft and there is still more work to do."

Commissioner Robert Bachman of the Fish and Boat Commission said, “Our area is different in that the Delaware River is a world-class fly-fishing destination. We get anglers that come from all over the world for a week at a time to visit and spend money in the area. This is very different from the guy who just comes down for the day from Binghamton and whose major expense may only be fuel costs."

The conference included a presentation by several business owners from Hancock who say they depend on visitors drawn to the region by the Upper Delaware River. They included Theresa Allen, a liquor store owner; brothers Sam and Matt Batschelet, owners of the West Branch Angler & Resort; Bart Larmouth, manager of the Delaware River Club, and Ben Rinker, owner of East Branch Outfitters.

Each told the same story: Their income flows from the river. When it is full of water, their tills are flush with cash. When water levels drop, so do revenues.

"Modern clients use modern methods of planning a trip to the region,” said Larmouth. “They go online to look at river conditions. If we have water, they come here. If we don’t, they go somewhere else."

Bachman and other participants agreed Shepstone’s numbers were a starting point for a long-overdue, credible economic impact study related to river usage.

The conference also included:

-- A report by Mark Gutshall of Landstudies Inc. and Tracy Brown from Trout Unlimited about an ongoing, FUDR-sponsored project to restore feeder streams in the Hancock area. Gutshall said, "To improve the health of our streams and rivers, we first need to look hard at historical land use. After we get this, we can go back and restore our waterways in a holistic manner that will not only help with flood mitigation but provide the habitat our wildlife needs to thrive. And it’s far more cost effective to protect streams before they become degraded rather than repairing them after the damage is done."

-- A discussion on improving water releases through an “Equitable Apportionment Plan” from the Catskills reservoirs, which provide drinking water to New York City, to better protect the cold water ecosystem that has allowed trout to thrive downstream of those reservoirs. Garth Pettinger, a New York Trout Unlimited representative and FUDR member, said the Croton Reservoir system in Westchester County will go back online this fall after completion of a new filtration plant in the Bronx. Pettinger said that means the demand for Delaware River water should be reduced, which will allow improved management of the Catskills water without jeopardizing the drinking water needs of New York City residents.

-- A report by Dr. Peter Kolesar, professor emeritus at Columbia University, about a plan to protect the fishery from periodic thermal stress during hot spells in the summer.  Kolesar says well-planned “pulse” releases built into the next water release management plan can maintain a water temperature target at key locations without impacting water delivery to New York City. Mark Hartle of the Fish and Boat Commission and Fred Henson of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, who reviewed data compiled by Kolesar, agreed that pulse releases would have mitigated water temperatures spikes during heat waves the past two summers.

-- A discussion about what hydraulic fracturing might mean to the region and its impacts on the Upper Delaware River. Paul Rush, deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said his agency is determined to protect the city’s water supply from fracking. Rush said, “The risks are far too great.” Katy Dunlap of Trout Unlimited said her group does not oppose responsible drilling but opposes fracking in "special places" like the Delaware River Basin and the New York City watershed. FUDR Chairman Dan Plummer added, "FUDR feels the same way and would follow Trout Unlimited's lead on this."

-- A discussion by Kathy Moser, assistant deputy commissioner for the New York State DEC, and Alan White, executive director of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, on a potential shift in resource allocation and political attention by New York State from the Adirondacks to the Catskills. White said, “The Catskills have been historically under-recognized by the state of New York in terms of resource allocation and political attention. We would welcome a new emphasis on the Catskills to boost the already significant economic and environmental contribution to the region and the state.”

10/28/2013