On December 20, the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program (DRBRP) received $9.7 million in funding as part of the fiscal year 2020 Interior Appropriations bill approved by Congress and signed by the President, a 62% increase from fiscal year 2019’s funding levels. The DRBRP will provide much-needed technical assistance and grant funds to address the Delaware River Basin’s environmental challenges. This funding will support eligible applicants in NY, NJ, PA, and DE, including government entities, non-profit organizations, and institutes of education implement on-the-ground restoration and conservation projects. Projects will combat critical issues such as overdevelopment, stormwater runoff, flooding, stream erosion, and loss of wildlife habitat.
Press Statement: New Jersey Passes Plastic Bag Bill out of Committee
“The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed commends the members of the Senate Budget Committee for their support of bill S2776. If passed, New Jersey will join our neighboring states of New York and Delaware in the fight to prevent and reduce single-use plastics from entering our waterways in a robust manner that fits the severity of the issue,” said Sandra Meola, Director, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. “All too often plastic bags often end up in our waterways, impacting fish, seabirds, and other wildlife through entanglement, ingestion, and ecosystem damage.”
Conservation Organizations Celebrate $96,400 in Federal Funds to Improve the Musconetcong River
On November 20, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, Musconetcong Watershed Association, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and Mayor Matthew Murello of Washington Township (Morris County) gathered along the banks of the Musconetcong River in Hackettstown, NJ to celebrate a new grant from the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund. A total of $96,400 was received by Musconetcong Watershed Association and with their matching funds, $192,800 will be leveraged for floodplain and stream restoration that will reduce flooding and improve water quality on the Musconetcong River, the longest tributary of the Delaware River in New Jersey.
What New Jersey’s Elections Mean for the Delaware River Watershed
Protecting our water starts with sound legislation and policies that are supported by state and federal legislators. In New Jersey – there’s a lot on the line. Over 1.9 million residents get their drinking water from the Delaware River Watershed, not including the 670,000 people who receive water from the Delaware and Raritan diversion. The Delaware River Watershed provides water to residents, farmers, businesses, and industry; and supports 823,294 jobs in New Jersey, earning $38.1 billion in wages for employees. New Jersey’s November elections for Assembly and Senate has created a shifting political landscape for the state, which could impact policy priorities for the Delaware River Watershed.
7th Annual Delaware River Forum Unites Conservation Organizations in Allentown
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, led by New Jersey Audubon and in partnership with National Wildlife Federation held the 7th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum in Allentown, Pennsylvania on October 16-17. About 250 people attended, bringing together conservation organizations and individuals spanning the Delaware River Watershed states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York, to collaborate and build skills. The Delaware River Watershed provides drinking water to 13.3 million people (about 4% of the U.S. population) in four states, including all 1.5 million Philadelphians.
$180K in Federal Funds Invested to Protect New Jersey, Delaware Salt Marshes
New Jersey’s Congressman Van Drew, Delaware’s Congressional Delegation, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) are celebrating $181,501 in federal funds recently awarded as part of the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund. The grant will support PDE’s development of the Salt Marsh Decision-Support Tool, a first-of-its-kind digital tool that analyzes data to improve the health of salt marshes. Ultimately, the tool will allow for data-based conservation and restoration to protect coastal communities in the Delaware Estuary and Bay from the impacts of climate change, including New Jersey's Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, and Cape May Counties; and Delaware's New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties.
Congressman Delgado, Coalition Celebrates $1.24 Million in Federal Funding for the Upper Delaware River
On October 7, Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR), the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, Trout Unlimited (TU), Town of Colchester Supervisor Art Merrill, Village of Deposit Mayor Bryan Moore, and Town of Hancock Board member Patrick O’Brien gathered in Deposit, N.Y. for a press event and site tour that celebrated $1,239,817 in federal funds recently awarded to FUDR and TU as part of the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund. These new funds will allow these organizations to conserve and restore fish and wildlife habitat, enhance and maintain water quality, and improve river-based recreational opportunities and public access in the Upper Delaware Watershed (Delaware and Sullivan Counties in New York, and Wayne County in Pennsylvania.)
Our Shared Waters: A Look at the Delaware River Basin
When the William Penn Foundation’s Nathan Boon approached us at the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) last year, asking whether or not we might like some help with the Commission’s State of the Basin Report, we said, “Yes, but…” The Commission is required to produce such a report every five years, but these reports are a bit technical – certainly not very readable by the average Basin resident. Additionally, the report is DRBC’s view of the Basin, and there are a lot of groups and people out there – including many of you reading this post – who have their own opinions on the Basin’s water quality, water quantity, aquatic species health, etc.