~ Water Resources Association ~

Water Resource Associations of the Delaware River Basin

Sept '07

Chairman's Message

The dredging appears to be behind us collectively in the Basin, with some temporary 50,000 cubic yards being removed from the channel and the long term channel deepening moving forward.

Flooding and reservoir issues and management continue to be studied and managed as an outcome of the Flood Mitigation Task Force requested by the four basin Governors and implemented through DRBC, notwithstanding the “Stop the Flooding” lawn signs I saw in a recent trip along Route 29 and 32.

Presently DRBC published a notice of a public hearing for an amendment to the Commissions’ Water Quality Regulations, Water Code and Comprehensive Plan to extend the temporary classification of the Lower Delaware River as a Significant Resource with a public hearing held on September 26, 2007.

Flooding and channel issues are natural events that have occurred for the many millenniums. Many times the focus of economic impacts pitch to shipping/port or water use for potable and industrial utilization. Again this summer I had the opportunity to canoe the upper portions of the river as I have for the last 40 years and wanted to recognize the recreation aspects of the Delaware River. The income from the canoe/raft rentals and associated jobs on the stretch from Dingmans Ferry to Narrowsburg, the beauty of Hawks Nest and small mouth bass fishing all need to be recognized and appreciated for not only its aesthetic value but also its economic value to Basin residents..

Further north on the respective East and West Branches we have a world class trout fishing resource within a 2-3 hour drive of millions of people. As we all deal with regulations and massive impact issues like flooding and dredging, take time to enjoy the river and basin.
Dennis W. Palmer, P.E.
WRA Chairman

Around the Basin: A Proposal to Increase Water Storage and Flood Control

Drilling, blasting, excavating, loading, hauling, and dumping are the core activities of any hard rock surface mining operation, whether it is in pursuit of coal, copper, or gold.

Collectively, these earth-moving activities represent the greatest cost component of surface mining. These same costly activities are part of any rock-fill dam construction project. However, there’s a monumental economic difference between surface mining and rock-fill dam construction. With surface mining, it pays to move the earth by recovering a mineral or energy resource with marketable value. Conversely, with dam construction, it costs to move the earth as no valuable resource is recovered.
Considering these facts provokes the question: could integrating surface mining and dam construction at a suitable site provide a cost savings approach to creating a water storage reservoir? One WRA member-company believes it can and offers a specific location in the upper Schuylkill River Basin for consideration by those charged with the management and improvement of regional water supply and flood control.
DiRenzo Coal Co. of Pottsville, Pa. proposes integrating Anthracite surface mining and reclamation with dam construction to augment regional water supply and flood control at a site in northern Blythe Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. DiRenzo believes the site offer many economic, environmental, and legal advantages over basin reservoir sites considered in the past. For example, DiRenzo, together with a small public water authority, owns all the land needed for dam and reservoir construction. This would minimize land acquisition costs and leave only a “water authority” to convince that its land could be put to a higher and better water resource use. Other advantages cited are the absence of the usual land use constraints and conflicts; such as major infrastructure, villages, cemeteries, state parks, state forests, or state gamelands. The proposed reservoir consists entirely of a mix of water supply area and abandoned mine land. Flood control benefits are also cited through the construction of high-flow pumping stations strategically located along nearby and flood-prone waterways.

Since early 2004, DiRenzo has been sharing its water storage proposal with relevant water resource agencies and groups. More recently, a Website was launched to facilitate information sharing by providing easy access to maps, aerial photography, and relevant correspondence. Through its efforts, DiRenzo hopes to induce the establishment of a multi-entity public/private partnership as a vehicle to fund and conduct further evaluation of its water storage proposal. As for the ownership and operation of any sizable reservoir resulting from its proposal, DiRenzo believes that is best suited for the likes of the DRBC, ACOE, PADEP, or a consortium of large consumptive water users.

Anyone interested in understanding more about DiRenzo Coal Co’.s water storage proposal should visit the website “www.opportunityforblythe.com”.

DiRenzo Coal Co. is a member of the WRA and contributed this article on their proposal.