Delaware River Basin Commission

The State of the Basin - 2019

Watersheds and Water Use

Chad Pindar, P.E.

Manager of Water Resource Planning, DRBC

WRA DRB , Fall Technical Symposium

November 6, 2019, Bordentown, NJ

Photo: David Mark, via Pixabay

Indicators

Watersheds / Landscapes

▪ Population

▪ Land Cover

▪ Impervious Cover

Water Quantity

▪ Water Withdrawals

▪ Consumptive Use

▪ Groundwater Availability

▪ 2016: ~8.3 million basin residents

▪ 2030: Projected to be 9 million

Population

▪ Most up-to-date data published by Shippensburg University

▪ 1-meter resolution, LiDAR-based, 12 land cover classes

▪ Predominantly Forested – especially Upper Basin

▪ More urbanized around Wilmington – Philadelphia -Trenton corridor

▪ Action: continue to update high-resolution landcover over time for trends

▪ Management of growth will help mitigate negative impacts to source waters, water quality and aquatic life

Landcover

▪ NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (CCAP) data for trends.

▪ Development is primarily from Forest and Agricultural lands

Landcover

▪ Good indicator of “stream health”

▪ Roads, parking lots, rooftops, etc.

▪ Prevents infiltration of rainfall, adds to runoff, reduces GW recharge

▪ Watersheds with >10% I.C.- stream health begins to decline

▪ Utilized NOAA CCAP for analysis

Impervious Cover

▪ Most of the basin is currently below the 10% threshold.

▪ Restoration: Stormwater retrofits in areas above 10%

▪ Protection: Management ordinances and BMPs in areas below 10%

Impervious Cover

Basin Water Use

▪ Measuring and reporting water use has greatly improved since the 1990’s

▪ Stable or decreasing trends

Water Use Trends – 3 Key Sectors

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Basinwide water use by sectorPWS Industrial Thermo

▪ Population growth

▪ PWS sector use is relatively flat

▪ Attributed to conservation efforts

▪ Similar at a national scale

Water Use Trends – Public Water Supply

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Total use: Public water supply

Consumptive Use Trend in Total WDDRB Population Trend

▪ 300 PWS utility systems submit audits yearly

▪ 156 MGD is leaked

▪ $132 million in non-revenue water

Water Auditing for PWS Sector

▪ Consumptive Use is stable in the DRB

▪ Action: Confirm C.U. factors by sector

Water Use Trends – Consumptive Use

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Basinwide consumptive use by sector PWS Industrial Thermo

▪ Thermoelectric is the one sector where we have seen C.U. increases

▪ Management / replacement program for this sector

Consumptive Use – Thermoelectric Generation

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Consumptive water use: Thermoelectric Power Generation Moving Avg. Trendline

Groundwater Use &

Availability

▪ Majority of Basin is in very good shape

▪ Below the “potentially stressed” threshold

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Moving Ave. Trendline

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Well is in the depleted zone of a regulated aquifer

Well is in the threatened margin of a regulated aquifer

GW: Special Management Areas

▪ Watersheds for analysis are smaller than those used for basin-wide assessment

▪ One watershed that is “Stressed” is due to a quarry

▪ Sustainable withdrawals

Southeast PA Groundwater Protected Area

Indicator SummaryPresent Condition / Trend

Present Condition / Trend

Recommendations

Recommendations

Status

Status

Chad Pindar, P.E. Water Resource Planning Section Manager

Chad.Pindar@drbc.govwww.drbc.gov

Managing, Protecting and Improving the Basin’s Water Resources since 1961