The Coalition and its partners successfully advocated for the NY state budget to reflect the importance of the upper region of the watershed by securing a $300,000 Environmental Protection Fund line item to support the Upper Delaware.

While this funding will lift up crucial projects and protection efforts in the region, the Coalition will continue to encourage state investment into the Upper Delaware region, setting the stage for projects that protect habitat, water quality, and the surrounding communities.

Additionally, in 2020, CDRW State Lead, Friends of the Upper Delaware (FUDR), provided support to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in their “Resilient NY” work to evaluate and identify vulnerable flood-prone areas within the Upper Delaware River, setting the stage for the Coalition’s continued advocacy for additional resources to implement on the ground projects that mitigate flooding, protect aquatic habitat, and preserve water quality.

Many amazing state-wide initiatives provide one-time funding for environmental projects, but the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act creates a critical source of reoccurring funding. This funding will go to restoring New York’s wetlands, improving water quality, making fisheries more sustainable, and much more.

The Coalition will advocate for the affirmative passage of the Bond Act when it is voted on by the electorate in November of 2022.

In March of 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to provide much-needed relief in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by investing more than $350 billion in state, county, and local governments direct to projects and programs.

Additional supplemental appropriations were provided by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package (BIP) to federal programs and partnerships, some of which New York has discretion over, such as the Forest Legacy Program.

Though New York State has more than $12.7 billion in aid available under the ARP, and even more money available to counties and municipalities, almost all of these funds remain unallocated.

CDRW and its partners will advocate for the allocation of a small portion of these funds to support jobs and economic activity in the Delaware River watershed by recommending “project level” uses such as matching funding for DRBRP projects, and natural solutions for climate mitigation.

The Coalition and its partners will work to assess the current implementation of Water Quality Standards in the Upper Delaware River region.

This will include the development of Water Quality Standards and a stream assessment policy document that provides maximum water quality to the region and working with NYSDEC staff to evaluate unassessed streams. This will also include advocating for temperature and sediment standards to be added to assessments to address the Upper Delaware River’s most pressing challenges.

The FFMP allows for release from New York City reservoirs to account for water needs in the city and to ensure quality habitat and recreation downstream.

The Coalition and its partners will work to ensure that the implementation of the 2017 FFMP provides maximum protections for the Upper Delaware River watershed. CDRW will support the implementation of the FFMP by emphasizing the positive impact that the 2017 FFMP has on downstream communities in the Upper Delaware region when adhered to, and by monitoring and highlighting research regarding how the reservoir release is impacting stream quality.

The history of land acquisition by the federal government in the Upper Delaware region and across the country depicts an unjust means to preserve land.

The Coalition will advocate for an increase in state-led land preservation that includes support for voluntary, private land conservation methods, such as conservation easements. The Coalition and its partners will also advocate for policies that further improve and protect already conserved land, water, and wetlands at the state and federal levels.