Delaware River Basin Commission Releases 2016 Annual Report

The Delaware River Basin Commission Wednesday released its 2016 annual report highlighting ongoing efforts to manage the water resources of the 13,539-square-mile Delaware River Basin that provides drinking water for an estimated 15 million people.

This year’s report focuses on “Clean Water by the Numbers” emphasizing the efforts and results of the commission and its staff of engineers, aquatic biologists, geologists, modelers, planners, and others to provide clean and sustainable water resources throughout the Delaware River Basin.

“Measuring changes to water quality can be complex,” said DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini.  “In 2016, we saw a continuation of DRBC-driven water quality improvements throughout the basin.”

Among the highlights in the report--

-- 76,423 water quality data points made available to public;

-- 76 percent reduction in PCBs in top ten NPDES permittees since 2005; and

-- 33.5 billion gallons of water in reservoirs managed by DRBC.

For example, in watersheds that drain to the basin’s Special Protection Waters (from Hancock, N.Y. to Trenton, N.J.), DRBC’s goal is no measurable change to existing water quality except toward natural conditions.  

DRBC’s monitoring and assessment programs confirmed in a report published in 2016 that the Lower Delaware – a 76-mile stretch of the river extending from just below the Delaware Water Gap at Portland, Pa./Columbia, N.J. to Trenton – not only met the no measurable change water quality objective, but showed reductions in nutrient pollution at most sites.  

“Our annual report highlights these improvements along with many other DRBC programs that we employ to effectively manage our shared water resources in the basin,” said Tambini.

Click Here to read the annual report and watch short supporting videos.