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EPA Announces Sustainability Pilot Project for the Delaware River Basin
As part of its Collaborative Science and Technology Network for Sustainability (CNS), EPA has begun work on a pilot project in Pennsylvania's Delaware River Basin. The goal of this project is to develop and implement sustainable management strategies for the Delaware River Basin. Partners include the Delaware River Basin Commission, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Monroe County, local municipalities, the Brodhead Watershed Association, and other stakeholders.
This project, titled "Sustainable Watershed Management in the Delaware River Basin" aims to evaluate the effects of growth and land-use change on groundwater, stream flow, and the ecology of Pocono Creek. Tools will be developed to determine the sustainable groundwater withdrawal limits considering environmental, economic, and social concerns. Those sustainable limits will be implemented by Monroe County to maintain a high quality of life in the watershed as future growth occurs. Research findings and results will be transferred to other parts of the Basin, as well as to other regions of the country.
In a similar pilot project, CNS researchers are developing and evaluating sustainable stream-restoration technologies that can be transferred throughout the Mid-Atlantic Highlands area and other regions of the country. The project, called the "Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration in Mid-Atlantic Highlands," is being conducted in cooperation with the Canaan Valley Institute; state and local governments of the Mid-Atlantic Highlands in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia; West Virginia University; and other stakeholders.
For more information about these pilot projects, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/pilots.htm.