The Pennsylvania Resources Council’s eastern office is situated within the larger Delaware River Watershed.
As members of this expansive watershed, we have joined forces with 65 other non-governmental organizations throughout the region under an important initiative called the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI). This collaboration, funded by the William Penn Foundation, is working to conserve and restore the streams that supply drinking water to 15 million people across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York.
Through the initiative, eight smaller, priority watersheds were identified within the larger Delaware River Watershed. Restoration and protection projects are focused in these areas. The eight priority areas include the Brandywine-Christina, Kirkwood-Cohansey, Aquifer, Middle Schuylkill, New Jersey Highlands, Poconos-Kittantinny, Schuylkill Highlands, Upper Lehigh, and Upstream Suburban Philadelphia.
PRC is a member of the Upstream Suburban Philadelphia cluster, which consists of five hydrologically separated stream systems that border and flow through the city of Philadelphia. There are eleven partner organizations working in this cluster, all coordinated by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. This cluster contains some of the most densely developed landscapes in the Delaware River Basin, which has led to most of the waterways being impaired due to stormwater runoff and excessive sediment and nutrient pollution.
Within the larger Upstream Suburban Philadelphia group, PRC’s work is focused on the Naylor’s Run tributary in the Cobbs Creek Watershed. In this area, we have implemented education, restoration, and Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) installation projects. In 2020, we helped restore 500 linear feet of Stream Bank at Drexel Gardens Park in Upper Darby Township. To make these projects possible, we work with partner organizations including the Lower Merion Conservancy (LMC), Darby Creek Valley Association (DCVA) and Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative (EDCSC).