Susquehanna River Basin Commission Highlights Partnership Efforts In 2018 Annual Report

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission recently released its 2018 Annual Report highlighting initiatives and accomplishments, including examples of its partnership efforts to address issues like flooding and improving water quality.

Here's Executive Director Andrew Dehoff's introduction to the report--

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is no stranger to partnering with agencies of its member states.

But in an era of limited financial resources, expanding demands and expectations on the quality and quantity of our water, water infrastructure challenges and more extreme hydrologic events, the Commission is finding itself more and more in collaborative efforts with local communities.

The articles in this year’s report highlight a sampling of the community partnership efforts the Commission has undertaken.

For example, mapping of areas prone to flooding is a longstanding priority of the Commission, and we have embraced new technology to provide more accurate maps at a lower cost.

Such mapping efforts have always been a partnership, often reflecting federal interest in helping vulnerable communities have the tools they need to prepare for increasingly frequent flooding.

The protection of life and property from flooding is optimized when forecasts of pending flood conditions are delivered as accurately and with as much advance warning as possible.

Enhanced forecasts and warnings are the primary focus of the interagency Susquehanna Flood Forecast and Warning committee, which the Commission has been coordinating for over 30 years to ensure collaboration between the agencies that collect hydrologic data, generate forecasts and operate infrastructure, to best serve our local communities.

Stormwater runoff can certainly entail flooding issues, but it also degrades the water quality in our local streams that support recreation and fishing, as well as provide for our drinking water.

Communities are under state and federal obligations to address stormwater and water quality impacts, and are seeking innovative and collaborative outlets to meet those obligations while faced with infrastructure financing challenges.

The Commission has worked to develop watershed-based solutions in partnership with communities and expects interest in such efforts to continue well into the future.

The Commission’s focus is on identifying cost-effective stormwater management efforts that not only satisfy local obligations but also address Chesapeake Bay restoration goals and reduce flooding.

Previous editions of our annual report highlighted recent projects in Lancaster and Cumberland counties, and can be viewed in the Reports Library on www.srbc.net.

Working together to address flooding and water quality issues is an obvious approach when entities share a common goal.

Perhaps it’s a bit less obvious, but the shared goal of best management of our water resources also offers opportunities for the Commission to serve as a partner to communities subject to the Commission’s regulatory oversight.

History and experience tell us that the review of municipal water withdrawal requests can be accomplished more effectively and at less cost when the Commission builds relationships with permittees early in the approval process.

I firmly believe that the Commission and the communities under its regulatory auspices share the objective of sustainable and reliable water supplies, and it’s a high priority of mine that we foster relationships that lend themselves to collaborative permitting and partnered resource management.

Click Here for a copy of SRBC’s 2018 Annual Report.

For more information on programs, training opportunities and upcoming events, visit the Susquehanna River Basin Commission website.  Click Here to sign up for SRBC’s newsletter.   Follow SRBC on Twitter, visit them on YouTube.