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Designation highlights the river’s national
significance
TRENTON N.J. – The Delaware River
has been designated a “Great Water,” joining 18 other waterways nationwide selected
for that honor by a national coalition formed to protect waterways of high
economic, social and environmental importance.
The
America’s Great Waters Coalition, based in Washington, D.C., announced its 2011
selections last week. The coalition was formed in 2009 to advocate for the
restoration and protection of lakes, bays, rivers and marshes that are rich in
natural resources and have a significant impact on their surrounding regions.
The
Delaware River is the longest un-dammed river east of the Mississippi, flowing
for 330 miles from Hancock, N.Y. to the Delaware Bay, where it empties into the
Atlantic Ocean. More than 15 million people in four states depend on the
river’s water for drinking, agricultural and industrial use. The Delaware
includes natural wonders -- three stretches along its course are included in
the National Wild and Scenic Rivers program – and important commercial assets.
“We welcome
the news that the Delaware River has been recognized as a Great Water of
national significance,” said Kelly
Mooij, Director of Government Relations for New Jersey Audubon. “We look
forward to working closely with our partners in the Delaware River Basin
Commission and the coalition to find regional solutions to the challenges of
protecting the river and its basin. One state acting alone can’t address the
complex issues involved in managing the resources of a river vital to the
interests of four states.”
Besides
the Delaware, eight other Great Waters were named by the Coalition on March 22,
World Water Day. They are: the New York/New Jersey Harbor, Albemarle Pamlico
Sound, Colorado River, Galveston Bay, Missouri River, Narragansett Bay, Ohio
River and the Rio Grande. Ten more waterways were honored last year. While the Great Waters vary in geographic location
and physical characteristics, they are plagued by similar problems such as
toxic pollution, altered water flows, habitat loss, and destructive invasive
species.
The Delaware additionally faces new
threats from hydraulic drilling for natural gas, a controversial process known
as fracking.
“Hydrofracking
in the Marcellus Shale formation is one of two imminent threats to the river
system’s well-being,” said Dan Plummer,
board chairman of Friends of the Upper Delaware River and a member of the
coalition. “A second threat is the inadequate water releases from New York
City-owned reservoirs, an issue that has plagued river residents, anglers and
other visitors, and the habitat and fisheries in the Delaware system for
decades.”
Other conservation advocates focused
on the significance of the river to wildlife, including threatened and
endangered species.
“The Delaware
is vitally important to wildlife, too,” said Mooij. “The largest population of breeding horseshoe crabs in the
world comes ashore in Delaware Bay, laying eggs that are an important food for
as many as a million migratory birds, including the endangered red knot.”
Margaret O’Gorman, executive director of
Conserve Wildlife, also noted the habitat value of the Delaware’s waters
and shores.
“Of course the Delaware River is a ‘Great
Water,’ sustaining an incredible diversity of wildlife, both common and rare,
along its length,” she said. “The Delaware River has been key to the recovery
of the bald eagle, which has seen statewide populations grow from one pair in the
late 1980s over 80 pairs breeding in New Jersey today. The river also provides
critical habitat to the Atlantic sturgeon and sustains shorebird populations
whose continued decline is cause for alarm.”
The
nation’s Great Waters are the backbone of America’s economy, impacting people,
businesses, communities and wildlife but, the coalition warned, these waters
are under attack. Landmark legislation
and funding for restoration efforts that have protected our nation’s waterways
for more than three decades are now at risk. Honoring specific waterways is one
way to lend fresh impetus to conservation efforts.
“The ‘Great Water’ designation
confirms the Delaware’s status as a national natural treasure,” said Plummer. “It further inspires us to
oppose drilling practices that could sterilize miles of pristine water and to
fight for a rational water-release plan that will preserve the Delaware River
from its headwaters to the bay and beyond.”
Across the country, restoration
efforts funded by the federal government are producing on-the-ground results. In
the Delaware River, for example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) made $27.5 million available for restoration projects
that compensated for a 2004 oil spill by a cargo ship. Projects included dam
removals, wetlands upgrades and improvements along the shoreline. Part of another
$20.3 million award from the Oil Spill Liability Fund made last year will be
used to create 50 acres of oyster reefs off Cape May County. But the work is
far from done, and critical decisions lie ahead, advocates said.
"The Delaware River has an
irreplaceable role in this nation's past and present — whether it can have a
healthy and contributing role in our future will be determined by the actions
and decisions of today,” said Maya van
Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper. “Dangerous gas drilling, irresponsible
dredging and increasing pollution are threatening the ability of the Delaware
River to nourish and support our communities with healthy water, food and
jobs. The Great Waters program could
play an important role in helping us to protect the river for the benefit of
all, now and into the future."
The Coalition calls for prompt action
to ensure the health, safety, and livelihoods of the millions of Americans that
depend on our Great Waters. These waterways benefit everyone not only because
of their economic, social, and environmental importance, but because they are
national treasures that support our nation’s economy and provide rich resources
for future generations.
“From the
Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Puget Sound to the Everglades, Great
Waters are the lifeblood of our nation, driving regional economies, preserving
our national heritage, and shaping the daily lives of Americans,” said Theresa Pierno, co-chair for the America’s
Great Waters Coalition and executive vice president for the National Parks
Conservation Association. “We
cannot afford not to protect our nation’s Great Waters. Whether it is for
drinking, fishing, transportation, recreation, trade, or energy, keeping the
Delaware River clean and accessible is essential to our health, happiness, and
financial well-being.”
The Great Waters Coalition
works to illustrate to the American public and decision-makers that our water
resources must become a national priority for the security of our economy and
way of life. Three main goals drive the
Coalition’s work: (1) making the
restoration of our Great Waters a national priority, (2) securing sustainable
dedicated funding for restoration, and (3) enacting and ensuring sound
implementation of restoration. To learn more about the Great Waters Coalition,
and to view a complete list of America’s Great Waters, please visit: www.nwf.org/greatwaters
