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Most Recent Commission Meeting Highlights

This is a recap of the most recent DRBC Commission Business Meeting.

  • Here you will find information given at the business meeting, as well as links to the items approved.

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DRBC Business Meeting Minutes
Meeting of June 5, 2024

The Delaware River Basin Commission held its regularly scheduled business meeting on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

The meeting, which was open to the public, was held at the Tusten Theatre, 210 Bridge Street, Narrowsburg, N.Y.

A public hearing was held remotely on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, via Zoom Webinar. Items heard at the public hearing, which began at 1:30 p.m., included five resolutions and 34 draft dockets for withdrawals, discharges and other water-related projects that could have a substantial effect on the Basin's water resources and are subject to the Commission's review.

  • Written comments on the items up for hearing on May 8, 2024, were accepted through 5 p.m., Monday, May 13, 2024.

Both the public hearing and business meeting were livestreamed to DRBC's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/delrivbasincomm. 

Business Meeting Agenda

The business meeting on June 5, 2024, began at 10:30 a.m. and adjourned at approximately 12 noon.

An open public comment session began after the close of the business meeting and lasted for approximately one hour. Please Note: Comments made during Open Public Comment Sessions are NOT included in any decision-making record. There is no requirement for the Commission to provide for open public comment.

Following the Open Public Comment Session, starting at 1:30 p.m., the public was invited to a screening of the short film Our Shared Waters: A Flight Along the Delaware and panel discussion highlighting success stories and management challenges for the Upper Delaware River, moderated by Meg McGuire, Delaware Currents. Panelists were Kerry Engelhardt, Resources & Land Use Specialist, Upper Delaware Council, Dan Corrigan, Owner, Northeast Wilderness Experience & Sawmill Cycles & Brent Gotsch, Technical Advisor, New York City Department of Environmental Protection. The film screening and panel discussion were held in-person at the Tusten Theatre; no registration was required.

The agenda for the business meeting follows, with links to the items approved (links to documents are added to this page as they become available).

Items heard at the May 8, 2024, public hearing are noted by *.

Please note: New Jersey Alternate Commissioner Steve Domber, representing Commission Chair N.J. Governor Phil Murphy, was unable to attend the meeting in person due to conflicts and participated remotely. Because of this, to best support the live meeting format, New Jersey stepped down as chair for the duration of this meeting. New York Alternate Commissioner Ken Kosinski, representing Commission Vice Chair N.Y. Governor Kathy Hochul, assumed the role of Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

1. Call to Order. (Commission Chair, Steve Domber)

2. Welcome. (Commission Vice Chair, Ken Kosinski)

  • Remarks from Laurie Ramie, Executive Director, Upper Delaware Council

  • Remarks from Sean Mahar, Interim Commissioner, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

  • Video remarks from U.S. Representative Marc Molinaro (NY-19)

3. Roll Call and Introductions. (Commission Secretary Pam Bush and Commissioners)

4. Minutes. (Pam Bush; The minutes of the March 6, 2024, business meeting were approved by unanimous vote)

5. Announcements.

6. Hydrologic Conditions Report. (Amy Shallcross)


7. Summary of Executive Director's Report. (Steve Tambini)

  • On behalf of the DRBC staff, I would like to express our gratitude to the Narrowsburg Community, the Upper Delaware Council and communities, the National Park Service and specifically to the staff of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance for hosting this meeting. The theme of this meeting is "Go Deep" - reflecting the fact that Narrowsburg not only is home to the narrowest portion of the Delaware River - just upstream of the bridge - but it is also home to Big Eddy – the deepest part of the Delaware River reaching over 100 feet below the surface.

  • I also want to thank Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for their support and partnership towards the shared management of the Basin's water resources. The headwaters of the Basin provide a critical role impacting  downstream quality and quantity impacting water resources in multiple states. New York is a national leader in environmental protection and water resource management, and the DRBC and the Basin have benefited from their collaboration and results.

  • The culture of caring for our communities at DRBC also runs deep. This year, reflecting the interstate cooperation of the Commission, DRBC and several community partners hosted a food drive benefiting both PA and NY food pantries. The power of partnership included a total of 22 collection sites both states. I would like to thank all those who donated, including DRBC staff. Donations are being provided to the following organizations, and we thank their representatives (named below) for all their efforts in their communities and for coming today to the meeting.

DRBC staff pose for a photo with representatives from thethree community Food Banks. Those boxes are only a sampleof the donations received. Photo by the DRBC. DRBC staff packs up all the donations received from the FoodDrive for each of the three community organizations. Photo bythe DRBC.
DRBC staff pose for a photo with representatives from the
three community Food Banks. Those boxes are only a sample
of the donations received! Photo by the DRBC.		 DRBC staff packs up all the donations received from the Food
Drive for each of the three community organizations. Photo by
the DRBC.
  • The DRBC recently provided to the public a new interactive tool to help communities take informed action on stormwater management. The on-line tool, Projecting Extreme Precipitation in the Delaware River Basin, allows users to obtain estimates of future changes in intensity, duration and frequency of extreme rainfall in the Delaware River Basin, thereby informing stormwater management and infrastructure design and increasing climate resilience. The tool was developed in New York at Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) at Cornell University and it aligns with similar tools used to address climate change in the neighboring watersheds that drain to the Chesapeake Bay.

  • The New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) plans to shut down the Delaware Aqueduct in October 2024 until the spring of 2025 to repair leaks. Before the aqueduct is shut down, the NYC Delaware Basin Reservoir levels will be lowered by the City; this is anticipated to begin this month. The public can get more information about the shutdown from the DEP's website. The DRBC has been working with NYCDEP and the Basin community to model and evaluate the potential downstream impacts of the shutdown. Findings from DRBC studies suggest that: the current Flexible Flow Management program has enough flexibility to continue to operate throughout the shutdown; drought conditions caused specifically by the shut down are unlikely; conservation releases to support downstream aquatic life are expected to be normal or better during the shutdown; and there is a minor increase in the risk of flooding (above routine operations) downstream. Interested parties should review more detailed information on the DRBC's website.

  • DRBC staff have been busy this Spring participating in several outreach community events throughout the Basin, including: the Lambertville (NJ) Shad Fest; the GreenPhilly Eco Fair; the Chester (PA) River Fest; the Trenton (NJ) Youth Fishing Derby; Riverfront North Fish Fest in Philadelphia; the Upper Delaware River Shad Fest in Barryville, N.Y.; Hydromania in Allentown, Pa.; and World Environment Day in New Castle, Del. Additional community outreach is planned this summer and fall. We appreciate these and other opportunities to learn from and speak with individuals throughout the Basin. 
  • DRBC staff is busy this summer monitoring the quality of waters throughout the Basin. Staff have initiated several routine and special monitoring programs to review the results of existing policy and consider new programs in areas that include: emerging contaminants; habitat assessment; the impact of thermal plumes; PFAS; chlorides; harmful algal blooms (HABs); bacteria; and nutrients. Click to learn more.

  • After the business meeting and the open public comment session, there will be a screening of the short film Our Shared Waters: A Flight Along the Delaware and panel discussion highlighting success stories and management challenges for the Upper Delaware River, moderated by Meg McGuire, Delaware Currents. Panelists will be Kerry Engelhardt, Resources & Land Use Specialist, Upper Delaware Council, Dan Corrigan, Owner, Northeast Wilderness Experience & Sawmill Cycles & Brent Gotsch, Technical Advisor, New York City Department of Environmental Protection. This free event is open to the public.

  • This June, the DRBC upholds and recognizes Pride Month, celebrating that we ALL belong in the Basin and highlighting our support for a safe, respectful and inclusive culture in our office, in the field and in all our interactions with our publics and stakeholders. We also are excited to again be a part of the Mercer County Juneteenth Celebration, to be held this year on June 15 at Mercer County Park. 

  • I am pleased to welcome Joseph Fogarty, Ph.D. as the newest staff member to the DRBC. Dr. Fogarty, whose doctorate is in Environmental Engineering from Princeton University, will be starting next week as a Water Resource Engineer in our modeling group.


8. General Counsel's Report. (Ken Warren)


*9 & *10. Resolutions to Adopt the Commission's FY25 Budget. (Elba Deck)

11. Resolution for the Minutes for Database Upgrade. (Elba Deck)

*12. Resolution to Approve the Water Resources Program. (Kristen B. Kavanagh)

*13. Resolution Directing Staff to Develop a Climate Resilience Plan. (Kristen B. Kavanagh)


*14. Resolution Establishing the Subcommittee on Source Water Protection (SSWP). (Chad Pindar)


15. Resolution for the Minutes regarding the Storage Study. (Chad Pindar)

  • A RESOLUTION for the Minutes authorizing the Executive Director to enter into a contract for engineering services to evaluate additional selected storage options to meet potential water supply and flow management needs in the Delaware River Basin. (this resolution was unanimously tabled for further discussion by the Commissioners)


16. Resolution to Amend the Rules of Practice and Procedure. (Pamela Bush)


17. Resolution for the Minutes for Election of Commission Officers for FY 25. (Pamela Bush)

*18. Project Review Docket Applications. (David Kovach; approved dockets are coming soon)

  • Please note that at each of its public meetings, the Commission may consider action on any item for which a hearing has been completed or may defer one or more such items for consideration at a public meeting of the Commission on a future date.

  • Dockets #1-34 were subject to public hearings on May 8, 2024.

  • Dockets #1-34 were approved unanimously by the Commissioners on June 5, 2024. 

View docket location map of projects heard on May 8 (pdf)

  1. Town of Rockland, D-1963-004 CP-3

  2. Forest Park Water, D-1965-076 CP-13

  3. Minersville Sewer Authority, D-1970-201 CP-4

  4. Berks-Montgomery Municipal Authority, D-1973-060 CP-5

  5. PA Fish and Boat Commission, D-1980-032 CP-5

  6. Melody Lakes Management, LLC, D-1980-079 CP-7

  7. Reading City, D-1986-028 CP-5

  8. Monroe Energy, LLC, D-1986-041-4

  9. Stanley Black and Decker, D-1987-032-5

  10. Blue Ridge Real Estate Company, D-1991-046-4

  11. East Stroudsburg Borough, D-1992-072 CP-3

  12. JFBB Ski Areas, Inc., D-1993-053-4

  13. Lansford-Coaldale Joint Water Authority, D-1995-013 CP-3

  14. The Pines at West Penn, LLC, D-1999-025-4

  15. Northeastern Schuylkill Joint Municipal Authority, D-1999-033 CP-4

  16. Leesport Borough, D-2001-012 CP-3

  17. SR Water, LLC, D-2001-056 CP-3

  18. Upper Makefield Township, D-2002-017 CP-4

  19. Slatington Borough, D-2003-015 CP-4

  20. Delaware Valley Fish Company, D-2004-008-3

  21. Warminster Municipal Authority, D-2004-021 CP-4

  22. Refresco North America, D-2007-006-4

  23. Constellation Energy, D-2008-038 CP-3

  24. Heidelberg Materials US Cement LLC, D-2009-016-4

  25. Lehighton Water Authority, D-2014-006 CP-3

  26. Concord Township, D-2014-012 CP-3

  27. Becker, Richard. C., D-2014-021 CP-3

  28. Upper Makefield Township, D-2016-006 CP-3

  29. Brodhead Creek Regional Authority, D-1986-011 CP-6

  30. Pennsylvania American Water Company, D-1990-027 CP-2

  31. Tamaqua Borough Authority, D-1990-060 CP-2

  32. BlueTriton Brands, Inc., D-1998-055-7

  33. Northampton Bucks County Municipal Authority, D-2001-013 CP-4

  34. Avondale Borough, D-2023-003 CP-1