Delaware River Basin Commission news release

WEST TRENTON, N.J. (August 6, 2020) — As Tropical Storm Isaias roared up through the Delaware Valley Tuesday, the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) Advisory Committee on Climate Change (ACCC) held its inaugural meeting. The ACCC was created by the DRBC in December 2019. The ACCC is comprised of 18 individuals with relevant climate expertise, representing various government, watershed, academic, business and water user perspectives.

The ACCC’s initial charge is to help inform DRBC’s future water resource planning efforts considering climate change and support development of a comprehensive study on climate impacts to the Basin’s water supply and water quality.

“Here in the Delaware River Basin we have some unique challenges. This Basin is prone to droughts and floods. Our main stem river is undammed and open to the ocean, meaning the bay and estuary are subject to sea level rise and storm surges. Bottom line – it’s complex, and we need this regional climate change expert committee’s help,” said Steve Tambini, DRBC’s Executive Director.

Among the Committee’s first orders of business was to elect a chair. Howard Neukrug, P.E., Executive Director, The Water Center at Penn, University of Pennsylvania, was unanimously chosen by the members.

“The DRBC staff has assembled a strong team of climate experts who will now work together to share their knowledge and ideas on how to minimize the future impacts of climate change on our region’s water resources,” said Neukrug.

The ACCC is one of seven DRBC advisory committees, which are important forums for information-sharing, dialogue and coordination among stakeholders and member state agencies. These committees also help inform the Commission’s policy decisions. All advisory committee and sub-committee meetings are open to the public. Information on each is available at https://www.nj.gov/drbc/about/advisory/.

The DRBC is a federal/interstate government agency created in 1961 by concurrent compact legislation, marking the first time that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development and regulatory agency. The five Commission members are the governors of the basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania) and the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ North Atlantic Division, who represents the federal government.

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