ESTUARY BASICS
2023 STATE OF THE ESTUARY
DELAWARE ESTUARY AND WATERSHED OVERALL RATING
What’s “Fair” in the State of the Estuary?
C
hances are you are one of the more than 13 million people whose water comes from the Delaware River Watershed. About 6 billion gallons of water is used daily in the watershed, which contains a network of rivers, streams and communities which contains a network of rivers, streams, and communities across 42 counties in
Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Every time you get a drink of water, fill your pet’s water dish, or wash your dishes, the water flowing out of the tap ultimately comes from the Delaware River or one of the many rivers and streams that feed it. The Delaware Estuary Program’s 2023 State of the Estuary Report gives an overall “fair” health rating of the Delaware River Watershed, which includes the area defined as the Delaware Estuary. “The State of the Estuary Report is a snapshot in time and overall assessment of the health of our estuary and targets a broad audience,” said Dorina Frizzera, co-chair of the Delaware Estuary Program’s Science and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC).
Kelly Faller, PDE’s Science Coordinator, gets a closer look at wetland wildlife from a kayak.
continued on page 5 VOLUME 33 | ISSUE 4
ESTUARY
4
NEWS
PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DELAWARE ESTUARY
