For Immediate Release

February 22, 1999

(WEST TRENTON, N.J.) -- The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) will host a panel discussion March 8 on the role integrated resource planning plays in resolving complex water and land use issues.

The discussion, which is designed to promote public dialogue, will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Hearing Room of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Southeast Regional Office at 555 E. North Lane, Lee Park Suite 6010, Conshohocken, Pa. There is no fee and advance registration is not required.

The event is being held the day before the Commission holds public hearings on proposed amendments to regulations that set limits on ground water withdrawals in the Ground Water Protected Area of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Among other provisions, the regulations encourage municipalities within the Protected Area to work together in adopting integrated resource plans to address the relationship between watershed management and land use planning. The plans must cover such areas as future water demand, options for wastewater discharge, the protection of instream flows, and floodplain and stormwater management.

The Protected Area was established by the DRBC in 1980 at the request of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The goal is to balance and reconcile alternative and conflicting uses of limited ground water in the region.

The six speakers on the panel will provide different perspectives on integrated resource planning and the role government agencies should play in preparing and implementing such plans. The panelists are:

Janet Bowers, executive director, Chester County Water Resources Authority; Thomas Cahill, Cahill and Associates; Jerry Cardamone, Esq.; David Milan, chief executive officer, Superior Water Co.; Gregory Prowant, manager, Lower Pottsgrove Township; and Michael Stokes, assistant director, Montgomery County Planning Commission.

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