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March 4, 2026, DRBC Meeting Archive


This page archives the information given and items approved at the March 4, 2026, Business Meeting.
Meeting of March 4, 2026

The Delaware River Basin Commission held its regularly scheduled business meeting on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The meeting, which was open to the public, was held virtually via Zoom Webinar.

A public hearing was held remotely on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, via Zoom Webinar. Items heard at the public hearing, which began at 1:30 p.m., included 20 draft dockets for withdrawals, discharges and other water-related projects that could have a substantial effect on the Basin's water resources and are subject to the Commission's review.

  • Written comments on the items up for hearing on February 4, 2026, were accepted through 5 p.m., Monday, February 9, 2026.

The February 4 public hearing and the March 4 business meeting were livestreamed to DRBC's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/delrivbasincomm. 


Business Meeting Agenda

The business meeting on March 4, 2026, began at 10:00 a.m. and adjourned at approximately 10:50 a.m.

An open public comment session began after the close of the business meeting and lasted for about a half hour. Please Note: Comments made during Open Public Comment Sessions are NOT included in any decision-making record. There is no requirement for the Commission to provide for open public comment.

The agenda for the business meeting follows, with links to the items approved (info & links to documents are added to this page as they become available).

  • Items heard at the February 4, 2026, public hearing are noted by *.
  • Items heard at the November 5, 2025, public hearing are noted by **.

1. Call to Order & Welcome. (Commission Chair, Gregory Patterson)

2. Roll Call and Introductions. (Associate Counsel Naomi Mendelsohn and Commissioners)


3. Minutes. (Naomi Mendelsohn)

  • December 10, 2025 (The minutes of the December 10, 2025, business meeting were approved unanimously by the Commissioners; PDF)


4. Announcements. (Naomi Mendelsohn)


5. Hydrologic Conditions Report. (Amy Shallcross)


6. Summary of Executive Director's Report. (Kristen Bowman Kavanagh)

  • I'd like to recognize two new alternate Commissioners; they are acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak and Deputy Commissioner Joseph Seebode, of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, who serve on behalf of Governor Mikie Sherrill.

  • I would also like to announce that Dr. Sarah Beganskas is DRBC's new Manager of Water Quality Assessment. Sarah joined the Commission in May 2021 as a water resource scientist and has worked on modeling and planning studies in support of several of our branches. In her new role, Sarah will supervise a team of scientists to develop water quality standards for Basin waters, advance regulations to maintain and improve water quality, plan and conduct water quality monitoring studies, and prepare water quality assessments.

  • In December, the DRBC released two technical reports that provide important insights into salinity intrusion in the Delaware Estuary.

    • The first report documents the development of a three-dimensional computer model that simulates temperature and salinity throughout the Estuary – from Trenton, N.J., all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. This model strengthens the scientific foundation for understanding how salinity varies under different conditions.

    • The second report evaluates how sea level rise will affect the amount of salt water in the estuary and the location of the salt front, which is the location where the river is no longer considered fresh water. Using sophisticated computer modeling, DRBC engineers and scientists were able to evaluate five sea level rise scenarios ranging from .3 meters to 1.6 meters under varying drought conditions, while also considering factors such as changing river flows and channel depth.

    • The results indicate that when sea level rise exceeds half a meter, the DRBC's current strategies – primarily releasing freshwater from reservoirs in multiple states to dilute the salt water – may no longer be sufficient.

    • Learn more about these two reports 

  • In February, the Pennsylvania Municipal League invited DRBC and its partners at the Susquehanna and Potomac river basin commissions to share water considerations in data center development. A joint article was published last month titled, "River Basin Commissions and Data Centers: Planning for a Growing Industry with Intensive Water Demands."

  • DRBC also recently concluded a joint initiative with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to better equip municipalities and eligible authorities in the Middle Delaware region to advance their mitigation, recovery and resilience priorities. The effort focused on increasing local capacity to apply for grants, providing education and outreach on applications and advancing Hazard Mitigation Plans to project development. 

  • Since we met last, the DRBC had held several advisory committee meetings:

  • On March 1, 2026, DRBC and its partners kicked off the 2026 Delaware River Creel Survey to better understand recreational angling perspectives throughout our Basin. This work is being done in partnership with the Delaware River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative, whose members include the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. Read the news release.

  • Later this month, the DRBC will publish Phase 1 of our Water Resources Resilience Plan (WRRP). The Phase 1 report outlines a workplan for the WRRP, reflecting upon collective input gathered from many partners and stakeholders. If you would like to hear more about our Phase 1 work and next steps for Phase 2, please plan to attend our WRRP Webinar that is planned for April 30, 2026, at 12 p.m. (additional details to come).


7. General Counsel's Report. (Ken Warren)


8. Resolution for the Minutes regarding a Water Resources Resilience Plan Consultant. (S. Beganskas)


*9. Project Review Docket Applications.  (D. Kovach)

  • Please note that at each of its public meetings, the Commission may consider action on any item for which a hearing has been completed or may defer one or more such items for consideration at a public meeting of the Commission on a future date.

  • Dockets #1-20* were subject to public hearings on February 4, 2026.

  • Docket #21** was subject to a public hearing on November 5, 2025. 

  • Dockets #1-21 were approved unanimously by the Commissioners. All are PDFs.

Docket Location Map for Projects Heard Feb. 4 (PDF)

1.   Pennsylvania American Water Company, D-1966-100 CP-3.  

2.   Amrize Cement Inc., D-1975-115-4.  

3.   Philadelphia Gas Works, D-1976-055 CP-5.  

4.   Hawley Area Authority, D-1981-029 CP-4.  

5.   Reading Regional Airport Authority, D-1986-038 CP-5.  

6.   Bristol Township, D-1990-098 CP-3.  

7.   Shree Hari Golf LLC, D-1992-024-4.  

8.   Doylestown Township Municipal Authority, D-1995-009 CP-4.  

9.   Pennsylvania American Water Company, D-1999-029 CP-4.  

10. Easton Suburban Water Authority, D-1999-062 CP-3.  

11. Buckingham Township, D-2004-015 CP-5.  

12. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, D-2005-008 CP-4.  

13. Coolbaugh Township, D-2006-023 CP-6.  

14. Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, D-2012-009-3.  

15. Schuylkill Valley Sewer Authority, D-2012-029 CP-4.  

16. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, D-2015-007 CP-3.  

17. Pennsylvania American Water Company, D-2015-015 CP-3.  

18. Escape Property Owners Association, D-1972-125-2.  

19. Downingtown Area Regional Authority, D-1998-033 CP-6.  

20. Kinsley Group Family LP, D-2010-005-4.

21. Gan Eden Estates, D-2017-002-1.