Lawmakers Tour Delaware River Aboard Schooner

Local officials and state lawmakers took part in an educational sail aboard the historic schooner AJ Meerwald last Friday to learn more about the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) programs and the impact the river has on the region.

Before leaving from Bristol Borough on the schooner, the legislators from the Pennsylvania House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the Joint Legislative Air And Water Pollution Control And Conservation (JLCC) held a press conference with local official at the wharf along the Delaware River to recognize the importance of the waterway to the state and the region.

“The river connects past and present and also state to state.  We appreciate the work of the DRBC and other stakeholders to address important issues that affect the basin and look for sustainable solutions,” said committee chair State Sen. Scott Hutchinson, a Republican from Oil City in Venango County.

That event came to fruition based on a recommendation for the DRBC to engage the committee on major water management programs. Instead of holding the meeting in a traditional conference space, the commission reached out to the Bayshore Center at Bivalve in New Jersey to see if they would be willing to host the event aboard the schooner AJ Meerwald, which was launched in 1928.

“We all need clean water.  The Delaware River is important to protect and safeguard for the millions of people that depend on it for their drinking water,” said JLCC member State Rep. Donna Bullock, a Democrat from Philadelphia, who originally made the recommendation to take the meeting to the water.

During the sail, members participated in various small groups where they talked with DRBC staff about water quality assessment, water resource operations, and water resource planning.

“We must come together across party lines to support the work of DRBC and unite to protect and preserve our environment,” said State Sen. Andrew Dinniman, a Democrat from Chester County, after the sailing and educational experience.

DRBC Manager for Water Quality Assessment John Yagecic told the officials about programs to keep tabs on and protect the water quality in the river and the basin that feeds into it. The DRBC has worked to reduce various toxic pollutants in the river the Delaware Bay.

“We all need clean water.  The Delaware River is important to protect and safeguard for the millions of people that depend on it for their drinking water,” said Bullock.

“Today the Delaware River is cleaner than it’s been in decades, thanks to water quality improvement programs spearheaded by the DRBC, and people are returning to their local waterfronts to reconnect with the river,” said DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini.  “Thank you to all who took part in today’s educational sail; we hope you have a greater understanding of Delaware’s importance to the region and of the efforts that go into managing and protecting this resource, which provides drinking water for about 15 million people, including nearly 5.5 million Pennsylvanians.”

Pennoni, the Bayshore Center at Bivalve, the AJ Meerwald crew, the Bristol Borough Council, and Rob Strasser of the King George II Inn all helped sponsor the event.