Hawksnest Overlook, Delaware River. Source: DRBC
The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is an example of the specialized agencies that mediate the demands of competing water users across local, state and even national boundaries. The Delaware River Basin Commission is a federally-sponsored but state-controlled forum through which Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey hammer out the allocation of water and management of river flows through mutual agreement. The states have committed themselves through a compact to maintain minimum specified flow rates needed to sustain ecological functions and protect intakes. Although controlled by its member states, the Commission serves them all as a neutral expert, in effect setting the bounds of negotiation by showing the states how much water, and from where in the system, they have to work with.
Vital Statistics:
Chapter of the Book: 21
States: DE, NJ, NY & PA
Year Established: 1961
Geographic Scale: 8.6 million acres
Mandatory or Voluntary over Local Government: Mandatory
Authorizing Laws: Federal & State
Agencies and Organizations:
Delaware River Basin Commission
United States Geological Survey, Delaware River Master
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Resources:
Water Resources Plan for the Delaware River Basin
Administrative Agreements between DRBC and the four states
Selected References:
Albert, Richard C. 2005. Damming the Delaware (2nd Edition). The Pennsylvania State University Press.
Bush, P.M. 2004. Transboundary Water Allocation in the Delaware River Basin – A History of Conflict Management and Growing Challenges. Conference, Eastern Water Resources: Law, Policy and Technology.
Collier, C.R. 2004. Sustainable Water Resources Management in the United States: Use of River Basin Commissions to Promote Economic Development, While Protecting the Environment and Improving Community Quality, in Promoting Sustainable River Basin: Governance: Crafting Japan-U. Institute of Developing Economies IDE-JETRO, Japan.
Hooper, B.P. 2006a. Integrating River Basin Governance and Key Performance Indicators. IWA Yearbook 2006.
Hooper, B.P. 2006b. Key Performance Indicators of River Basin Organizations. Submitted for publication as a Technical Note to the Institute of Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers, Virginia.
