4. Delaware River
Watershed Facts
Over 15 million people
(about 5% of the U.S.
population) rely on the
waters of the basin
Drains 13,539 mi² , or 0.4
of 1% of the continental
U.S. land area
Longest undammed river
east of the Mississippi
Daily water withdrawal in
the DRB = 8.7 BGD
1
5
7. Salt Line
(250 mg/l, 7 day avg)
Water Supply Intakes
RM 110
1960’s Maximum
M O N TH
Normal
R.M. 77
Ja n
Fe b
Ma r
Ap r
Ma y
J un
J ul
Aug
Se p
Oct
N ov
Dec
A V G . M I D -M O N TH
L O C A TI O N
68
68
67
61
64
67
72
77
79
81
80
74
Data for determination provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kimberly Clark Corp.
8. Holistic Basin Management
Is A Necessity!
There
is not enough water for all uses
during drought conditions
Water needed for other uses –
Navigation, ecological
flows, recreation, wastewater assimilative
capacity
More
Complex – boundary of four states
11. DRBC
Special Protection Waters Program
―It is the policy of
the Commission
that there be no
measurable change
to existing water
quality except
towards natural
conditions …‖
12. Water Quality
Federal Wild and Scenic
River Designation – ¾ of
non-tidal river
Total non-tidal river and
its watershed designated
DRBC Special Protection
Waters
Mainstem = longest
stretch of anti-degradation
waters in U.S.
No measurable change in
water quality
13. Vulnerability of Headwaters
Headwaters are the
most sensitive areas
of a watershed
Existing contiguous
forest is critical to
water quantity and
quality
Philadelphia Source
Water Protection
Analysis
#1 – Change in
Delaware River
Headwaters
14. Aerial view of a Marcellus Shale well site near Waynesburg, Pa. (MICHAEL BRYANT / Phila. Inquirer Photographer )
19. Regional Changes—
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic U.S.
N o rth east U S S ea level tren d s, 1950-1999
(m m /yr)
0 .0 0
E a stp o rt, M E
B a r Ha rb o r, M E
P o rtla n d , M E
B o sto n , M A
W o o d s Ho le , M A
Ne wp o rt, R I
1 .0 0
2 .0 0
3 .0 0
4 .0 0
5 .0 0
In the Northeast/MidAtlantic U.S., sea level
is rising much faster
than the global
average, most likely
due to local land
subsidence.
P ro vid e n ce , R I
Ne w L o n d o n , C T
M o n ta u k, NY
W ille ts P o in t, NY
T h e B a tte ry, NY
S a n d y Ho o k, NJ
Inferred subsidence
rates are -0.6 to 2.7
mm yr-1.
A tla n tic C ity, NJ
P h ila d e lp h ia , P A
L e we s, D E
B a ltim o re , M D
A n n a p o lis, M D
S o lo m o n s Isla n d , M D
W a sh in g to n , D C
G lo u ce ste r P o in t, V A
S e we lls P o in t, V A
G lo b a l a ve ra g e
Source – Ray Najjar
Over the 21st
Century, this is an
additional sea-level
rise of -6 to 27 cm.
Sources: Zervas
(2001), Church et al. (2004)
20. Water-level change at Philadelphia
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
Source: NOAA (2011)
21. Salt Line
(250 mg/l, 7 day avg)
Water Supply Intakes
RM 110
1960’s Maximum
M O N TH
Normal
R.M. 77
Ja n
Fe b
Ma r
Ap r
Ma y
J un
J ul
Aug
Se p
Oct
N ov
Dec
A V G . M I D -M O N TH
L O C A TI O N
68
68
67
61
64
67
72
77
79
81
80
74
Data for determination provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kimberly Clark Corp.
22. Water Intakes at Risk from Drought and Sea Level Rise:
location of the salt line at high tide during drought
Power
• Exelon Delaware
Generating Station
• Exelon Richmond
Generating Station
• Philadelphia Gas
Works Richmond
Industrial
• Koch Material Co.
• NGC Industries
• Rohm and Haas
Philadelphia
• MacAndrew and
Forbes Co.
• Pennwalt Corporation
• Sunoco
Public Supply
• Torresdale Water
Intake (provides
• almost 60% of
Philadelphia’s water
supply)
• New Jersey American
Water Co. Tri-County
Water Treatment Plant
23. Will We Have Enough Water?
More
water needed to control salt line
Existing reservoirs will not be as effective
with intense storms. Green and grey
infrastructure solutions
DRBC Strategy for Sustainable
Water Resources – 2060
Develop resiliency
Shot-term; long-term
24. Sustainable Water Resources 2060
– Change and Location
Energy Generation – Water Footprint
Ecological Flows
Natural Gas Development?
Point and Non-Point Pollution
Climate Change
Population
Sea level rise, intense storms, droughts
25. Needs
Need
to look holistically –
Water system
Geography
Stakeholders
Upstream
Impacts on Downstream
Downstream needs driving upstream mgt.
Basin-wide Solutions
Plan Basin-wide; Implement locally
26. We need your help to manage the resource
www.DRBC.net
27.
28. Key Issues
Water
Quality
PCBs, nutrients and emergent contaminants
Keeping the Clean Water Clean
Water
for Energy
Natural Gas Development
Climate Change
Sea level rise
Floods and droughts
29. POTENTIAL IMPACTS
– Major Water Supplies – Trenton
Flood Mitigation – Reservoir Storage
Land Use Changes in Headwaters
Salinity
Loss of forests, increased impervious
Water
Big
Quality Degradation
Changes in Water Management Needed
Place-based assessment and solutions
IWRM
30. How to Proceed With Minimal Funds
Benefit
of good data sets
Working with Federal Agencies
USGS – Water Census Pilot
• Ecological Flows
• Water Use Updates – 2010 data, energy sector
• WATERS Model – Scenario testing
NOAA – IWRSS
• Mid-Atlantic Basins Pilot
USACE
• Salinity – Flow Model
• State Collaborative – Proof of Concept