For Immediate Release

September 10, 2004

Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner will be joined by Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Federal Representative Brigadier General Merdith W.B. Temple, Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water Assistant Director Fred R. Nuffer in a ceremonial signing of a resolution supporting the implementation of the "Water Resources Plan for the Delaware River Basin."

When? Monday, September 13, 2004, 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Where? Dravo Plaza, South Madison Street next to the Shipyard Shops,
along the Christina River in Wilmington, Del. (Directions below)

The five federal and state government representatives will each offer brief remarks.

A number of federal agency representatives also will participate by signing the resolution in affirmation of their agency’s support of the basin plan, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The public is invited to attend and affirm their support of the plan, which will be officially released and distributed at the event.

The basin plan is a 30-year, goal-based framework that will serve as a guide for all governmental and non-governmental stakeholders whose actions affect water resources in the Delaware River Basin. It is the product of a four-year stakeholder process initiated by the governors of the four states with land draining to the Delaware River and Bay -- Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Following the signing event, the "Watershed Summit on the Delaware: Making the Connection," will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the nearby Wyndham Hotel, 700 North King Street, in Wilmington. The Sept. 13-15 conference is being sponsored by the EPA and DRBC, with the support and assistance of a number of additional agencies and organizations.

***

Contact: Clarke Rupert, 609-883-9500 ext. 260

***

Directions to the Wilmington Riverfront for September 13, 2004
Delaware River Basin Plan Signing Ceremony at Dravo Plaza
(Courtesy of the Riverfront Development Corporation’s Web Site)

Directions from New York/New Jersey
Take the New Jersey Turnpike South to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Continue through the toll plaza and stay to the left. Follow the sign that reads South to I-95 & Wilmington/Baltimore. Take the I-95 N to Wilmington. Take Exit 6 in Wilmington, Delaware (Maryland Avenue) and turn right onto Maryland Avenue. Follow the signs to the Riverfront, turning right just before the 1st traffic light. Turn right onto South Madison Street.

Directions from Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
Take I-95 South to Exit 6 in Wilmington, Delaware (Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). Turn left at the 4th traffic light onto Martin Luther King Blvd. Turn right at the 3rd traffic light onto South Madison Street.

Directions from Maryland
Take I-95 North to Exit 6 in Wilmington, Delaware (Maryland Avenue) and turn right onto Maryland Avenue. Follow the signs to the Riverfront, turning right just before the 1st traffic light. Turn right onto South Madison Street.