By Sarah Bach, Associate Director, Clean Water, American Rivers
In the Delaware Basin, climate change is causing increased precipitation and increased temperatures, demanding more from our already outdated water infrastructure. The recent federal investments in the water sector present an opportunity to upgrade systems in a way that increases resiliency to climate change for the rivers and communities most affected.
Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA
American Rivers is championing a national effort to protect and restore all rivers, from remote mountain streams to urban waterways. Since 2020, American Rivers, in collaboration with The Water Center at Penn, has been tracking investments in the Delaware Basin through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which has been the primary vehicle for federal investments in clean water. The below background and findings may be useful for anyone interested in engaging further with these matters.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also referred to as Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), was signed into law in November 2021 and included $11.7 billion dollars for the nation’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. To encourage green investments, American Rivers developed a guide for local governments on Using Clean Water State Revolving Funds for Greening and Climate Resilience. Municipal and utility staff can use this guidance to access the funds available through the program for green, nature-based projects that help protect and restore our nation’s rivers. For an overview of investments at the national level, the Environmental Protection Agency recently released a public dashboard for State Revolving Fund data to illustrate the investments made after the signing of BIL.
Delaware Basin states began to see BIL investments awarded to projects starting in July 2022. Since then, Clean Water State Revolving Fund programs have awarded major funds for Camden County, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, and Wilmington and New Castle County, DE. Overall, the funding is reaching communities in need, but the depth of need for infrastructure upgrades far exceeds the available funds. In 2023, we saw less investment in nature-based infrastructure than we have seen in the Basin over the past decade, with only 1-2% of total investments awarded to projects with nature-based components.
New Jersey
Cooper River, Camden, NJ
In 2023, New Jersey committed to investing approximately $76M in the watershed (82% traditional loans, 18% principal forgiveness loans). Only one project in the Delaware Watershed awarded by the NJ Infrastructure Bank in 2023 contained green elements. Within the watershed, the “disadvantaged “designated communities of Trenton, Camden, and Pennsville received notable investments.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania committed to investing approximately $82M in the watershed in 2023 (91% traditional loans, 9% principal forgiveness loans). Of the 32 projects located in the Delaware Basin, four included green elements. A majority of the 32 projects were awarded to locations within environmental justice communities identified by the PennEnviroScreen map.
Delaware
In 2023, Delaware committed to investing $242M in the Delaware Watershed (99.5% traditional loans, 0.5% principal forgiveness loans). Though $242M is much larger than Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s investment amount, it reflects the proportion of funding reaching the Delaware Basin relative to the state’s size. For Delaware, we do not have a further breakdown of the number of green projects because funded project information is difficult to find.
Christina River, Wilmington, DE
Although Clean Water State Revolving Fund investments have improved access to basic wastewater services and have reduced pollution to the Delaware River, deep disparities in access to affordable wastewater service, clean rivers, and a healthy environment exist among watershed communities. Advocating for infrastructure funding for people and rivers is more important than ever and American Rivers recommends these four steps in our Delaware Basin SRF Advocacy Guide. Despite the size of this recent federal investment, it is still not enough to ensure clean rivers and affordable water service for everyone. To appropriately meet the water infrastructure needs and benefit communities throughout the nation, additional funding opportunities through and alongside the State Revolving Funds are needed.
For more resources and information on the SRF programs and public engagement opportunities in the Delaware Basin, visit the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed’s Infrastructure Funding Resource Hub.