Care About PA's Tohickon Creek?

We are tracking a potential Tohickon Creek water quality downgrade. Longtime Wild & Scenic Steering Committee Member Val Sigstedt writes, “It is wrong, arbitrary, sudden, and with no scientific reason, to lower the Tohickon’s purity designation.”

• Read the NPS comments here.
• Read PA State Rep. Wendy Ullman’s relevant op-ed about the Bucks County tributary here.
• Read the Delaware Riverkeeper Network's comments here.
• Read the Bucks County Planning Commission's comments here.
• Read the Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic Management Council's comments here.
• Read more from The Intelligencer here.
• Read the proposal and 900 public comments here.

Cleanups will take place both along the shore and in canoes and kayaks.

Learn more here...

Rockface To Radically Change, Plans Unveiled by NJDOT

Aesthetics are expected to change at Devil’s Tea Table in Hunterdon County, NJ as a result of NJDOT plans for rockfall mitigation to improve Rt. 29 roadway safety in Kingwood Twp.

The August 1, 2019 Kingwood Township Committee meeting was packed with over 70 NJ and PA residents concerned about visual changes to the rockface. Present was NJDOT constituent and communications staff, the project manager, and geologists. Attendees learned that the remediation scheduled for 2023 will be funded with federal transportation dollars. Thirty-two documented rockfalls onto Route 29 in the last five years, along with rock instability, identify the Devil’s Tea Table area as the third highest priority rockface project in NJ. Conceptual plans from 2015 were intended for contractor bids and do not reflect the current project approach developed after a three year scientific review. The work, divided into four project segments, will include vegetation and rock removal, securing rocks including the Devil’s Tea Table itself, the installation of draping material to cover select sections, and the creation of a 15-20 foot ditch along the roadway.  Worried about the visuals changing from a scenic aesthetic to an industrial look, local residents also expressed fears that rock blasting will impact groundwater and private wells. Other environmental matters were acknowledged including that Kingwood Township is located within the Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River corridor, that Route 29 is part of the Delaware River Scenic Byway, that NJDEP maintains Green Acres and open space in the area, and that endangered species and the D&R Canal Park are in close proximity. Residents were advised that traffic will be rerouted at times and limited closures during daylight rock blasting will occur. Future meetings will be held in Kingwood Township to present renderings of what the four project segments will look like upon completion and to solicit additional public comment. Further information can be obtained by calling NJDOT at 609-963-1982 or emailing Meredith Hammond, Community Relations Manager, Office of Community and Constituent Relations, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

View the project proposal here, (Elevation Sketches and Photos: Pages 36-47), and here.

See our public information letter here.

The following entities will receive a total of $20,000 in support: (PA)

• Delaware Riverkeeper Network
• SPLASH: Steamboat Floating Classroom(NJ)
• Lambertville Recreation Commission (NJ)
• Lehigh River Stocking Association (PA)
• Northampton County Parks & Rec (PA)
• Friends of Washington Crossing Park (PA)
• Durham Historical Society/Cooks Creek Watershed (PA)
• Bucks County Audubon Society (PA)
• Kingwood Twp Environmental Commission (NJ)
• Association of NJ Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)

Projects include river research, youth science education, an educational exhibit, an environmental conference, native plantings and stream/slope stabilization. The 2020 mini-grant program will open in December for NJ and Pennsylvania nonprofits and government entities in the Lower Delaware region. 

Water levels on the Delaware are constantly changing. The USGS provides online tools to monitor the flow of the Delaware River and its tributaries, helping us to safely enjoy our river. 
Learn more here...

The Lower Delaware was designated in 2000 as a Wild and Scenic River 

• from river mile 193.8 to the northern border of the City of Easton;
• from south of the Gilbert Generating Stations to north of the point Pleasant Pumping Station;
• from South of the Point Pleasant Pumping Station to 1,000 feet north of the Route 202 Bridge;
• from 1,750 feet south of the Route 202 bridge to Washington Crossing.

Additionally some of the tributaries in the Lower Delaware were also designated including Tinicum Creek, (headwaters of two upper branches to the Delaware River confluence), Tohickon Creek, (downstream of Lake Nockamixon to the Delaware River confluence), and Paunacussing Creek, (portions passing through Solebury Township to the Delaware River). The Musconetcong River, (3.5 mile stretch from Saxton Falls to Route 46 and the 20.7 mile stretch from King’s Highway Bridget to railroad tunnels at Musconetcong Gorge), was designated in 2006.

Read more about about the Lower Delaware's Wild and Scenic Designation.....

The DRBC seasonal photo contest is open until Nov. 15th. An original fall photo taken in the Delaware River Basin can be the work of either an individual or organization. A high resolution image file and signed DRBC photo release required.

Learn more about contest details here.

• Management Plan

• Stewardship Handbook

• Aresenic Study