In addition to combined storage in the New York City-Delaware River Basin reservoirs, storage in Blue Marsh and Beltzville Reservoirs is used to trigger drought warning and drought operations in the Lower Delaware River Basin - that portion of the basin downstream of Montague, N.J. This allows for reductions in the Trenton flow target and the New Jersey diversion when lower basin conditions are drier than in the upper part of the basin. Accordingly, lower basin operations are controlled by both basinwide or lower basin storage triggers, with the most limiting restrictions controlling.

Normal
The pool level in Beltzville Reservoir is at or above elevation 615 mean sea level (m.s.l.) and the pool level in Blue Marsh Reservoir is at or above elevation 283 m.s.l.
 

Trenton Flow Target	3,000 cubic feet per second
Allowable Diversion to New Jersey	100 million gallons per day

 

Drought Warning
The pool level in Beltzville Reservoir drops below elevation 615 m.s.l. and the pool level in Blue Marsh Reservoir drops below elevation 283 m.s.l.
 

Trenton Flow Target*	2,500-2,900 cubic feet per second
Allowable Diversion to New Jersey	70 million gallons per day

 

Drought
The pool level in Beltzville Reservoir drops below elevation 590 m.s.l. and the pool level in Blue Marsh Reservoir drops below elevation 273 m.s.l. and both reservoirs remain below these respective levels for 3 consecutive days.
 

Trenton Flow Target*	2,500-2,900 cubic feet per second
Allowable Diversion to New Jersey	65 million gallons per day

 
*The target is dependent on the location of the 7-day 250 mg/l chloride concentration in the Delaware Estuary.

Section 2.5 of the DRBC Water Code contains detailed information regarding drought operations.

Merrill Creek Reservoir, a pumped storage facility located in Warren County, New Jersey, releases water to replace evaporation by power generating facilities. Releases are made during both basinwide and lower basin drought warnings and droughts whenever the flow at Trenton drops below 3,000 cubic feet per second for at least two consecutive days.

Commission Member Links: Delaware | New Jersey | Pennsylvania | New York | United States |

DRBC Home Page

P.O. BOX 7360, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360
Voice (609) 883-9500 FAX (609) 883-9522
clarke.rupert@drbc.state.nj.us