PHILADELPHIA -- Leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) participated in a signing ceremony on Sept. 17, 2024, at DRBC headquarters in West Trenton, N.J. Leaders signed a feasibility cost-sharing agreement amendment for the Francis E. Walter Dam Re-Evaluation Study.
The study will evaluate the existing and future use of the Francis E. Walter Dam Reservoir during Delaware River basin emergency drought conditions to support/aid salinity repulsion in the Delaware Estuary, provide low flow augmentation, and protect aquatic life.
Mr. Michael Connor, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, participated in the event along with USACE deputy commanding general for civil works and emergency operations Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly; USACE Philadelphia District Commander Lt. Col. Jeffrey Beeman; DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini and Deputy Executive Director Kristen Bowman Kavanagh; Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala and Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush from NYC DEP; and other study team members.
The feasibility cost sharing agreement amendment will position the study to ensure adequate time and resources to complete a full re-evaluation. This includes additional environmental modeling and engineering analysis.
“It’s always a pleasure to highlight partnership and stewardship” said Mr. Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “It’s fundamental for us to evaluate the performance of our existing infrastructure and we need to look at issues on a watershed scale and that’s what you all are doing with this study.”
"The Commission is pleased to support the F.E. Walter Reservoir Re-evaluation Study as a non-federal sponsor,” said DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini. “Co-sponsoring this study will support drought management planning, increase climate resilience in our shared Delaware River Basin, and ensure that all Basin states are represented in the process."
“Having the foresight and courage to update long-held water management practices throughout the Delaware River basin is critical in confronting the new realities of climate change,” said NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “This agreement enables out-of-the box thinking, backed by world-class science and engineering analysis, to help ensure a more vibrant and healthier river basin for future generations while maintaining the critical protections to surrounding communities that all of us are committed to.”
After the signing ceremony, Mr. Connor and Maj. Gen. Kelly visited an environmental infrastructure project in Camden County, N.J., toured the Fort Mifflin Field Office in Philadelphia, and met with partners regarding the Eastwick Flood Risk Management study.