Created by JFK, the Delaware River Basin Commission emerged as a unifying force amid record dry spell Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice Facing an unprecedented water crisis, Cape Town, South Africa is restricting residents to a mere 13 gallons of water each day.
Philadelphia is unlikely to wind up in a situation similar to Cape Town, in part because climate change is expected to make the region wetter – not more dry.
But lessons learned decades ago, when the Delaware River basin endured a severe drought, prompted infrastructure and management procedures that now protect the entire basin’s water supply, which feeds both Philadelphia and New York City.
Because the lower portions of the Delaware River are tidal and contain saltwater, freshwater flows are needed to keep the salt line from advancing too far upstream, where a major Philadelphia water intake is located.
They’re not set up for it, but no one wants to drink salt water."
– Carol Collier, former DRBC executive director During the preceding decades, the Delaware River Basin had experienced an array of water supply shortages, apportionment disputes, water quality issues and devastating floods.
In 1931, the Supreme Court ruled that New York City could export 440 million gallons per day from the basin, prompting the construction of two of the three Delaware River basin reservoirs that are owned and operated by New York City.
Through the DRBC, the four basin states devised a drought management plan that reduces reservoir releases, lowers streamflow objectives and reduces water diversions to New York City and New Jersey.
The plan effectively preserves the water supply for New York City, while preventing the salt line to move too far upstream.
Under the most severe conditions – when a drought emergency is called – the DRBC can request water releases from various basin reservoirs, or ask water to be stored in federal reservoirs.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) are now providing bottled water for residents in Blades as the town’s well water system has been contaminated by "perfluorinated compounds" or (PFCs).
DNREC’s announcement comes after all three of the town’s wells returned concentrations of PFCs that are above the human health advisory level (70 parts per trillion) following recent sampling at the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
DNREC says the water from the sampled wells are safe to use for bathing and laundry, but cannot be used for cooking or drinking.
Bottled water will be delivered Friday morning to Blades Elementary, which announced school would be closed to students due to the problem.
Bottled water will be provided Friday at noon to residents at the Blades Fire Hall.
Alternative sources of drinking and cooking water will be provided until a permanent solution is in place, according to DNREC.
Water will be supplied to the entire town until additional work can determine the extent of PFC contamination in the municipal wells.
Though PFCs are not regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, DPH is working with DNREC to minimize any potential health impacts to the community.
Long-term exposure to perfluorooctanoicacid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) can affect pregnant women and infants and cause cancer and liver and immune system impacts.
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The Trenton Water Works boil water advisory has been lifted for all of Ewing and Hamilton but remains in effect for parts of downtown Trenton.
The advisory now applies only to customers in Trenton from the Delaware River to Prospect Street and Bellevue Avenue to Pennington Avenue to Perry Street to S. Clinton Avenue to Liberty Street to Duck Island.
Operations ceased because of elevated turbidities and inadequate disinfection of delivered water.
Turbidity refers to the cloudiness or haziness of the water.
“Some Trenton Water Works customers have experienced issues.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.” All water in the affected areas—including for bathing, showering, drinking and cooking—should be boiled before use.
Trenton Water Works customers asked to conserve water A water conservation advisory is in effect for all Trenton Water Works customers.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is requiring the system wide water conservation to help conserve available water supplies, according to DEP spokesman Rob Geist.
Residents should limit all water use by restricting use of dishwashers and washing machines, limiting showers and their duration and limiting flushing toilets.
The advisory will remain in effect until costumers are notified by officials in their municipality.

Trump’s EPA cuts threaten water quality in Delaware River Basin, report says.
Water quality in the Delaware River Basin would be impaired if the Trump administration’s proposed deep cuts in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s budget become law, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The report from the environmental group PennEnvironment said the EPA has played a critical role in the Delaware River’s improved health in recent decades, but that progress would be imperiled if the agency is unable to continue its work in cleaning up pollution, enforcing environmental laws, and working with state and local agencies to maintain water quality.
Many federal grants to state governments would be reduced by around a third, and funding for research and development would be cut by almost half as part of an overall 31 percent cut to the agency’s budget.
Congressman Dwight Evans, a Philadelphia Democrat, said he is opposing the cuts because of the importance of clean water to the region.
“It would be shifting the burden on the local governments, and I don’t think that can happen,” Evans said.
EPA’s Philadelphia-based region 3 also did not respond to a request for comment on the report.
“There’s lots of additional impacts that may occur without the federal funding that in turn supports not only the EPA doing work but states doing work, and DRBC doing work,” Collier said.
Kate Schmidt, a spokeswoman for DRBC, said it receives EPA funding for a water pollution control program, and works “very closely” with staff from two EPA regions, but it’s not yet clear how the proposed cuts would affect it.
McDonnell wrote to Pruitt in March saying the potential 30 percent cut in federal funding for DEP to comply with federal environmental laws would have “an immediate and devastating effect” on Pennsylvania’s ability to protect air and water quality.

NJ environmental groups warn Trump budget cuts could have ‘catastrophic impact’ on Delaware River watershed.
TRENTON — New Jersey environmental groups and some state lawmakers denounced President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, singling out the proposed impact on the Delaware River and its large watershed.
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The full House is expected to take up the measure next month.
Even scaled back from what Trump proposed, the EPA cuts pose a serious threat to key programs, leaders from the environmental groups said, citing the 15 million people who rely on the Delaware River for drinking water.
The grants provide funding for the Delaware River Basin Commission, the interstate government agency that oversees water resources across the basin, a 13,500-square-mile area spanning parts of New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania.
"They’re facing a world of problems."
Any loss in funding would be difficult for the state to absorb and would likely force layoffs or cuts in other environmental programs such as state parks, said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.
"They hear the news about budget cuts, they think it has nothing to do with them.
O’Malley said the groups would press each member of New Jersey’s congressional delegation to oppose any cuts to EPA funding, but particularly the reductions called for by the president.

EPA Moves to Roll Back Clean Water Protections.
COURT HOUSE – EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the agency is moving forward with a rule to rescind the 2015 Clean Water Rule.
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, led by New Jersey Audubon and National Wildlife Federation, and its partners are deeply dismayed by this action.
Repealing the Clean Water Rule threatens the water resources of the entire nation, including the Delaware River Watershed, which supplies clean and reliable drinking water to over 15 million people.
“We all depend on clean water and wetlands – whether its water for our families, small business owners, or hunters and anglers – and the repeal of the Clean Water Rule threatens the vitality of our communities and economy,” said Maddy Urbish, Director of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed at New Jersey Audubon.
The rule more clearly defined what kinds of waters are protected and which ones are exempt.
It also provides over $21 billion in ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water filtration.
Lacking clear and understandable protection under the Clean Water Rule puts these vital resources at risk.
It protects our drinking water and the wetlands we need to filter pollutants and provide vital habitat for wildlife.” remarked Eric Stiles, President and CEO of New Jersey Audubon.
“A repeal of this rule flies in the face of science and will hurt our wildlife and economy.” Kelly Mooij, Vice President of Government Relations at New Jersey Audubon added, “To ensure all Americans have access to reliable, drinkable, clean water, the EPA and Army Corps must use the best available science on the ecological functions and connectivity of the nation’s waters to develop and implement rules for protecting them through the Clean Water Act.” Repealing the 2015 Clean Water Rule and gutting protections that have prevented the pollution of the nation’s waterways for decades is a huge step backwards, and the Coalition urges the EPA and Army Corps to reverse course and focus on providing strong protections for our water resources.

EPA Moves to Roll Back Clean Water Protections.
COURT HOUSE – EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the agency is moving forward with a rule to rescind the 2015 Clean Water Rule.
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, led by New Jersey Audubon and National Wildlife Federation, and its partners are deeply dismayed by this action.
Repealing the Clean Water Rule threatens the water resources of the entire nation, including the Delaware River Watershed, which supplies clean and reliable drinking water to over 15 million people.
“We all depend on clean water and wetlands – whether its water for our families, small business owners, or hunters and anglers – and the repeal of the Clean Water Rule threatens the vitality of our communities and economy,” said Maddy Urbish, Director of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed at New Jersey Audubon.
The rule more clearly defined what kinds of waters are protected and which ones are exempt.
It also provides over $21 billion in ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water filtration.
Lacking clear and understandable protection under the Clean Water Rule puts these vital resources at risk.
It protects our drinking water and the wetlands we need to filter pollutants and provide vital habitat for wildlife.” remarked Eric Stiles, President and CEO of New Jersey Audubon.
“A repeal of this rule flies in the face of science and will hurt our wildlife and economy.” Kelly Mooij, Vice President of Government Relations at New Jersey Audubon added, “To ensure all Americans have access to reliable, drinkable, clean water, the EPA and Army Corps must use the best available science on the ecological functions and connectivity of the nation’s waters to develop and implement rules for protecting them through the Clean Water Act.” Repealing the 2015 Clean Water Rule and gutting protections that have prevented the pollution of the nation’s waterways for decades is a huge step backwards, and the Coalition urges the EPA and Army Corps to reverse course and focus on providing strong protections for our water resources.

Fire fighting foam contamination sites clustered along Delaware River.
A national mapping project detailing tap water contaminated with toxic chemicals used in fire fighting foams and nonstick frying pans shows a large number of those public water systems along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
The chemicals, commonly referred to as PFC’s, (and include PFOA and PFOS), are used by manufacturers in making non-stick pans, waterproof clothing, take out food packaging, and fire-fighting foams.The compound is no longer manufactured in the U.S., but increasing numbers of drinking water sources have been found to contain levels that exceed EPA’s maximum contaminant levels.
The report, entitled “Mapping a Contamination Crisis,” reveals 15 million people are exposed to PFC’s through their drinking water resulting from use of the chemical at manufacturing sites and military bases across the country.
David Andrews, a senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, says the bulk of the data came from the EPA, which required drinking water facilities that served more than 10,000 people to test for PFC’s between 2013 and 2016 and report findings to the federal government of levels above 20 parts per trillion for PFOA and 40 ppt for PFOS.
Andrews says they found 162 systems serving 15.1 million people had high PFC levels.
Seventeen of those tap water sources were located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware along the Delaware River.
New Jersey officials have recommended lowering the maximum levels from 70 ppt to 14 ppt.
Some have suggested it should be as low as 1 ppt.
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network recently petitioned Pennsylvania officials to set a lower level than the federal standard based on new peer-reviewed research into the health impacts.