A breakthrough in water resources management occurred in 1961 when President Kennedy and the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York for the first time signed concurrent compact legislation into law creating a regional body – the Delaware River Basin Commission – with the force of law to oversee a unified approach to managing a river system without regard to political boundaries.
The signatory members of this regional body include the four basin state governors and the Division Engineer, North Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who serves as the federal representative. The DRBC has its own Executive Director and a staff of about 35 people, including scientists, engineers and planners. Commission programs include water quality protection; water supply allocation, water conservation initiatives and watershed planning; regulatory review (permitting); flow and drought management; flood loss reduction; and recreation.
