DRBC published its State of the Basin Report in July 2019.

The Commission plays a unique role as the agency charged since 1961 with managing the Basin’s water resources. Through the DRBC, the states of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and the federal government have built an exceptional record of results to improve water quality and to provide a sustainable water supply.

The State of the Basin Report 2019 – the third such publication since 2004 – benchmarks conditions and tracks progress toward achieving key DRBC water resource management goals for maintaining an adequate supply of suitable quality water to meet the diverse needs of our region for public water supply, recreation, industry, commerce, agriculture, and aquatic life. 

This year’s report provides a detailed evaluation – essentially, a focused snapshot – of 31 indicators for watersheds and landscapes, water quantity, water quality, and living resources, and includes a rating and a directional trend for each.  A majority of the indicators received a "Good" or "Very Good" rating, while trends are predominantly "Improving" or "Stable."  Lower ratings or declining trends for some indicators show us where additional study and stewardship are required.

In addition to highlighting the DRBC's work to manage, protect and improve our irreplaceable waters and waterways, this report also recognizes the important contributions made by other agencies and organizations. It highlights water resources challenges for the Basin, for example, associated with climate change, and includes recommendations for addressing these challenges collectively.

• View Report (pdf 6.3 MB)
  
  
• View Summary Brief (pdf 2.6 MB)
  
  
• View News Release Announcing its Publication (July 25, 2019)

DRBC's State of the Basin 2019 was the focus of a session during the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin's Fall Technical Symposium, held in November 2019. The symposium was themed Strategies for a Sustainable Delaware River Basin. DRBC staff provided an overview of the State of the Basin 2019, split into five presentations (all pdfs):

• Introduction by DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini, P.E.
  
  
• Watersheds and Water Use by DRBC Manager of Water Resource Planning Chad Pindar, P.E.
  
  
• Flow Management and Climate Change by DRBC Manager of Water Resource Operations Amy Shallcross, P.E.
  
  
• Water Quality and Living Resources by DRBC Manager of Water Quality Assessment John Yagecic, P.E.
  
  
• Our Shared Waters: A Look at the Delaware River Basin by DRBC Director of External Affairs and Communications Peter Eschbach