Several DRBC staff participated in the 4^th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum on September 19-20, 2016.

DRBC's Executive Director Steve Tambini moderated the plenary panel on September 19 that featured DRBC alternate commissioners from the states of Delaware and New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The panel was a Discussion with the States of the Watershed and focused on issues that affect the Delaware River Basin. Panel members were Kara Coats, Deputy Secretary, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Kelly Heffner, Special Deputy Secretary for Water Resources Planning, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Daniel Kennedy, Assistant Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Paul Rush, Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

DRBC’s Tambini also moderated a session entitled Building Blocks for a Watershed-Wide Plan on September 20 that featured a presentation by DRBC’s Director for Water Resource Management Dr. Ken Najjar entitled Advantages and Challenges of Basinwide Water Resource Management (pdf 2.4 MB). This session focused on planning needs and challenges for the Delaware River Basin, highlighting current planning efforts taking place and the tools that help support these efforts.

DRBC’s work to protect the Lower Delaware River Special Protection Waters (SPW) were also highlighted at the conference in a poster session. The commission recently published a report detailing its water quality assessment in this section of the watershed. For most water quality parameters at most locations, there were no measurable changes to existing water quality, demonstrating that DRBC’s SPW program is working and plays an important role in managing water quality in the Delaware River Basin. View poster (pdf 1.3 MB) and learn more about the assessment.

The forum was held on September 19 and 20 at the Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center, Blue Bell, Pa. Hosted by the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, a collective of not-for-profit organizations whose focus is to help protect and restore the Delaware River, its tributaries, and surrounding landscapes, this event included a mix of panel discussions, site visits, and networking opportunities that educated attendees about the current health of the watershed and effective approaches being used to protect and restore its resources.