Delaware River Basin Commission Releases Surface Water Availability Report For Select Tributaries; Results Will Be Reviewed At Oct. 14 Water Advisory Committee Meeting

On September 30, the Delaware River Basin Commission released a report, Surface Water Availability in Select Tributaries of the Delaware River Basin, detailing screening of surface water availability across a range of hydrologic conditions in six watersheds within the Delaware River Basin.

Commission staff evaluated six of the basin’s tributary watersheds in Pennsylvania and Delaware that support public water supply, as well as thermoelectric power generation, agriculture, industry and other uses: the Brodhead Creek, Brandywine-Christina River, Lehigh River, Neshaminy Creek, Chester-Ridley-Crum Creeks and Schuylkill River watersheds.

These watersheds were selected because they include public water supply intakes that draw from non-tidal rivers and streams and are not reliant on dams or reservoirs.  

Results suggest the Lehigh River watershed has potential availability concerns, and the report recommends further study to quantify possible supply challenges in the context of site-specific operations.

“Our screening tool is designed to flag areas that we need to study more closely,” said Amanda Khalil, DRBC Water Resource Scientist and a lead author on the study. “We intentionally built this tool to be sensitive, so we were certain to capture any potential availability risks in these watersheds.” 

Future work may include evaluating additional public water supply intakes in the basin, notably those that draw water from the main stem Delaware River, a tidal water body or a reservoir or other impoundment.

DRBC’s water research and planning also supports state and regional planning efforts, including the Pennsylvania State Water Plan.

“The Commonwealth values DRBC’s work on this issue and recognizes the strong link between basinwide planning and the Pennsylvania State Water Plan,” said Jill Whitcomb, PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Deputy Secretary for Water and DRBC Alternate Commissioner. “As we work to implement the Water Plan’s strategies and actions to benefit communities across Pennsylvania, we rely on the DRBC for leadership, research and recommendations within the Delaware River Basin.”

Oct. 14 Meeting

Results of the study will be shared at the Commission’s next Water Management Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

Click Here to register to join the meeting..

Visit DRBC’s Water Supply/Planning webpage to learn more about this program.

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Delaware River Basin Commission website.  Click Here to sign up for regulator updates.  Follow DRBC on Twitter.  Visit them on YouTube.

[Posted: September 30, 2026]  PA Environment Digest