Clean water | Healthy Forests | Sustainable Communities

Common Waters is a regional partnership of public and non-profit organizations and agencies focused on supporting the development of sustainable communities and working landscapes in the Delaware River watershed, primarily upstream of the Delaware Water Gap. The mission of the Common Waters Partnership is to conserve clean water, natural places, and working lands through cooperation, scientific research, education, and technical assistance. The Partnership facilitates information sharing through joint  publications, shared web-delivery systems, and establishment of a communications network across municipal, county, and state boundaries. The Partnership also takes on collaborative projects that support and  further its goals.

    Program Areas:
 

• Common Waters Forum - Community land use and conservation forum held in Oct 2009
   
• Land prioritization analysis with Natural Lands Trust (NLT) - Identifying high priority watersheds to protect drinking water resources.
   
• Marcellus Shale - Exploring how to protect watersheds during natural gas development.
   
• Common Waters Fund - Protecting source water by linking water consumers downstream with landowners upstream.
   

The Delaware River is a critical economic and recreational resource for  local residents in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The  basin-wide system of forests, streams, wetlands, and finally the Delaware Bay estuary provide habitat for many important wildlife species. What makes the river unique is that it provides drinking water to 15 million people, including the cities of New York and Philadelphia. This exceptional waterway is threatened by development — in the last two decades, approximately 20 acres of forest are lost each day in the  Upper Basin — and other issues such as natural gas extraction. To address these and other issues affecting water resources and communities across the Upper Basin, stakeholders formed the Common Waters Partnership in 2007.