Delaware River Basin Water Resources Management

The Comprehensive Plan (CP) for multipurpose development and management of water resources in the Delaware River Basin, under the first Federal-Interstate compact, is explained. The CP is a codification of administrative laws adopted by the Delaware River Basin Commission, and serves as a general guide for planning, devlopment, and operation of water-related projects and facilities, both public and private, for water supply, water quality control, flood control, hydroelectric power generation, and recreation. The CP serves also as a regulatory document to prohibit developments that do not conform to the adopted plan. The CP grows in scope almost monthly as the Commission adds new projects, policies, criteria, and standards. The CP, together with the basic statutory law, the Delaware River Basin Compact, provide the legal basis for regulatory control of water resources in the four-state, 13,000 sq-mile region. The CP includes the controversial Tocks Island Lake project, a multipurpose impoundment sited on a 37-mile reach of the Delaware River just downstream of the New York—New Jersey State boundary, which has been halted by opposition from environmental groups.