As the longest undammed main stem river east of the Mississippi, the Delaware River Watershed (DRW) provides drinking water to over 13.3 million people in the region, including two out of the five largest metropolitan centers in the country: New York City and Philadelphia, along with the cities of Camden, Trenton, and Wilmington.
The Delaware River is home to over 90 resident and migrant fish species, hosts significant recreational fishers, and is an important source of oyster, blue crab, and the largest population of American horseshoe crabs. It also provides habitat to over 400 different resident and migratory birds, including endangered and threatened species.
The Delaware River is a national treasure that must be protected, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) significantly contributes to that goal. Over $244 million in federal funding from LWCF has gone to the DRW to protect drinking water, recreation access, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience. Additionally, the Highlands Conservation Act program, which is funded by LWCF, has provided nearly $10 million in state grants to the watershed.
Credit: Delaware River Basin Commission
Delaware River Watershed Projects Funded by LWCF
Just beyond the eastern seaboard where large cities and suburbs merge into the nation’s most densely populated region, over three million acres of forested ridges, fertile farmland, streams, lakes and reservoirs form the regional landscape called the Mid-Atlantic Highlands. The Highlands region in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are part of the Delaware River Watershed and land protection made possible by the Highlands Conservation Act supports conservation of waterways that feed into the Delaware River.
Credit: American Rivers
Hunterdon County, NJ
In Hunterdon County, NJ, 130 acres have been protected with $470,000 from the LWCF-funded Highlands program in the area of Musconetcong Mountain and Gorge, located in the Musconetcong River Watershed. These projects leveraged $760,000 in non-federal dollars and contributed to ongoing work by the Musconetcong Watershed Association to protect this major tributary to the Delaware River.
Bucks County, PA
In Bucks County, PA, the Highlands Conservation Act provided $725,000 to protect nearly 125 acres in the Cook's Creek Watershed. The project leveraged non-federal dollars and contributed to ongoing work by the Heritage Conservancy and Cooks Creek Watershed Association to protect this 30.5 square mile area. Cooks Creek Watershed is listed as a first priority site in the Bucks County Natural Areas Inventory (NAI) and has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as the only viable cold-water fishery in Bucks County.
Interactive Map of Highlands Conservation Act Grants
Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW)
Founded in 2012, the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed unites over 170 organizations working throughout the four-state region (NY, NJ, PA & DE) to enhance their capacity to effectively advocate for protecting and restoring the Delaware River Basin. Our vision - a Delaware River Basin recognized as one of America's Great Waters, providing clean water, healthy habitat, and accessible outdoor recreation and public access.
As the second priority ever adopted by the Coalition, and readopted year after year, the Land and Water Conservation Fund is critical to ensuring that the DRW remains one of America’s Great Waters. After years of advocacy efforts, permanent funding of $900 million/year through the Great American Outdoors Act was signed in August 2020, which means we will continue to benefit from this successful program for many years to come.
For the Coalition, the Land Water Conservation Fund priority involves advocating for an equitable distribution of the Fund dollars to the Delaware River Watershed. In addition to protecting the quality of the Delaware River, the Fund is also critical to maintaining recreational access points of interest in the Watershed. Successful projects supported by the Land and Water Conservation Fund will help the Watershed achieve many of the goals of the Biden Administration’s America the Beautiful and 30x30 Initiatives, which strive to protect 30% of lands, rivers, lakes, and wetlands by 2030.
The Coalition is celebrating a decade of impact in the Delaware River Watershed, and we look forward to our continued partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition to advocate for necessary funding and ensure that the dollars get to the communities who need it most.
Read more about the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed and what the LWCF means for our great waters.
By: Meagan Schaefer, Outreach & Communications Manager, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed