This fall, DRBC staff shared their expertise several water resource management conferences.

Their presentations highlighted various Commission programs, ongoing studies and a new DRBC publication.

Outreach and education are important strategic goals of DRBC. Whether sharing information about the Basin and Commission programs at conferences, community events, in the classroom, online or otherwise with partners and peers, staff recognizes that connecting with our publics and stakeholders is vital to help share information about what we do and why it is important.

The 2021 American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Mid-Atlantic Conference was held in late September.

Presented by the Delaware Section-AWRA & New Jersey Section-AWRA, in conjunction with the National Capital Region Section, Pennsylvania State Section and Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Section, the conference was themed Community, Conversation, Connections. Its program included a wide-range of water resource topics sure to be of interest to anyone working in water resources.

DRBC Manager of Water Resource Modeling Thomas Amidon is the immediate past president of the New Jersey Section-AWRA and helped organize this informative conference.

He and three other colleagues were a part of the conference, either giving presentations or participating in a panel discussion.

DRBC Water Resource Engineer Michael Thompson's, P.E., presentation Have We Seen Peak Water Use in the Delaware River Basin? (pdf) discussed work completed on a 30-year trend analysis of water use in the Basin. This analysis helped the Commission make projections of how much water will be needed in the future for a variety of water use sectors. This effort was highlighted in a recent publication and data release.

The presentation is also available to be viewed on YouTube (starts at 37:21):

Amidon and DRBC Manager of Water Quality Assessment John Yagecic, P.E., also presented at the conference.

Amidon's presentation Application of Eutrophication Modeling to Understand the Potential to expand designated aquatic life uses in the Delaware River Estuary (pdf) discussed the Commission's Aquatic Life Designated Use Study, focusing on the models being developed and used for this multi-year study and regulatory effort. Learn more about the study.

Yagecic's presentation Using Data for Water Resource Management at the Delaware River Basin Commission (pdf) discussed various dashboards and models staff developed and use to assess and communicate a variety of water quality and flow data. 

These presentations are also available on YouTube:

The Water Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania hosted its annual conference in early October.

Themed Expect the Unexpected, the conference brought together operators, engineers, vendors and government officials to highlight the importance of always being prepared for any situation when managing a public water supply system.

DRBC Deputy Executive Director Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, P.E., presented on Climate Change Considerations in Water Resource Management (pdf).

Other presentations can be viewed at https://www.wwoap.org/meetings-events/2021-wwoap-conference/.

The Friends of the Upper Delaware River held their annual Water Water Everywhere conference in October.

This conference focused on water resource management issues that affect the upper Delaware River, the portion of river that borders Pennsylvania and New York.

DRBC Deputy Executive Director Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, P.E., presented on DRBC's Storage Feasibility Study (pdf).

More information about this ongoing study can be found at https://www.nj.gov/drbc/programs/flow/reservoir-storage-study.html.

This presentation is available to be viewed on YouTube:

DRBC Manager of Water Resource Operations Amy Shallcross, P.E., and NYCDEP Bureau of Water Supply Chief of Staff Jennifer Garigliano presented jointly at the conference. They discussed water releases from the New York City Delaware River Basin reservoirs and how they impact and are used in salinity management downstream in the Delaware River Estuary. View presentation (pdf).

The Interstate Council on Water Policy held its annual meeting over two days in mid-October.

DRBC Manager of Water Resource Operations Amy Shallcross, P.E., serves as the Chair of their Water Data and Science Committee; she helped organize the meeting and moderated three sessions.

DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini, P.E., provided opening remarks on the meeting's first day.

DRBC Director of Science and Water Quality Management Dr. Namsoo Suk presented on DRBC's Aquatic Life Designated Use Study (pdf).

DRBC Water Resource Engineer Michael Thompson, P.E., discussed Water Withdrawal and Consumptive Use Estimates for the Delaware River Basin (1990-2017) With Projections Through 2060 (pdf).

Full information about this event can be found at https://icwp.org/news/philadelphia-pa-annual-meeting-registration-and-hotel-information-october-12-14-2021/.

New Jersey Water Supply Advisory Council

The New Jersey Water Supply Advisory Council was established by the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection. The Council advises the Department concerning water supply resource issues affecting New Jersey. 

The Council holds monthly meetings. DRBC Water Resource Engineer Michael Thompson, P.E., presented on Water Withdrawal and Consumptive Use Estimates for the Delaware River Basin (1990-2017) with Projections Through 2060 (pdf) at their October meeting.