Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District’s (DCSWCD) Stream Management Program (Stream Program) is a partnership formed between the DCSWCD and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Delaware County hosts two New York City drinking water supply systems which are part of the largest unfiltered water supply in the United States. In order to protect this irreplaceable natural resource the United States Environmental Protection Agency requires NYC DEP to develop comprehensive and innovative watershed protection programs as part of their requirement of the 1997 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD).
The Stream Program assists communities and their stakeholders in understanding their streams’ processes and influences on their landscapes to develop plans that define stream stewardship for entire communities. The Stream Program is a locally led, bottom-up approach that values community knowledge and engagement. The DCSWCD Stream Program partners with county agencies, municipalities and stakeholder groups to:
Streams are critical to our Delaware County and downriver communities, providing not only the highest quality drinking water for humans and agricultural animals, but also recreation, irrigation for crops, and wildlife habitat. Delaware County watershed programs are the first defense against flooding and nonpoint source pollution from agriculture, industry and natural processes that threaten biological systems and diversity to protect the drinking water for approximately 9.25 million people.
Sound community development practices that proactively involve water resources are better measurements of water quality protection than any other program. This is evidenced by the benefits gained from reducing nutrient load in the soil and water as well as the community protection from stream stabilization and floodplain reclamation.
Learn more about our Stream Program projects, management plans, and community resources, or contact us to discuss topics with a staff member.
The Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Stream Management Program is dedicated to restoring and stabilizing streams and reducing nonpoint source pollution to ensure quality drinking water, and providing education and outreach on all phases of stream management and stewardship to help stakeholders make informed science-based management decisions.
