In 2016, the CLUS entered an agreement with the National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River (UPDE) through the Chesapeake Watershed CESU. The purpose of this five year agreement is to “Facilitate Collaborative Learning Opportunities through Service Learning Partnership.” The goal of this agreement is to complete and launch an effective and efficient spatial decisions support tool for project review within the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River corridor.

The GIS tool will be used by the Upper Delaware Partners (local municipalities, counties, states, UDC, and NPS) to work together to review and manage projects and resource issues with the potential to impact the Outstandingly Remarkable Values for which Congress designated this unit of the Wild and Scenic Rivers system. Using GIS technology will also aid in promoting, facilitating and improving the public’s understanding of natural, cultural, historical, recreational and other aspects of UPDE; particularly through visual means enabled via GIS.

Background:

The Delaware River

The main stem Delaware River, which includes the 73.4-mile-long Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, is the only major river in the eastern United States that remains undammed, providing unimpeded flows and ecologic connectivity that support scenic, recreational, ecological, cultural, and geological values. Over 17 million people rely on the Delaware River Basin for water. Approximately 9 million of those 17 million people reside outside the basin, in New York City, Philadelphia, and Northern New Jersey.

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (UPDE) is within 100 miles of metropolitan New York City and 175 miles from metropolitan Philadelphia. Consequently, as development pressure overtakes the East Coast, land use management in this region becomes increasingly important for its contribution to water quality throughout the Delaware River valley.

In 1978 Congress passed the Upper Delaware Act establishing the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River as a unit of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and charged the Secretary of the Interior [NPS] in cooperation with the [Delaware River Basin] Commission [DRBC], the directly affected States [PA and NY]…and local governments to: