National Weather Service: Delaware River Basin Commission Interactions National HIC Meeting Kansas City, MO July 9, 2009 George McKillop

2 Tonight’s Discussion Public Law (The Compact): A breakthrough in water resources management (1961) Delaware River Basin –Background –Why DRBC was created –DRBC Programs –DRBC Advisory Committees –Water Resources Plan NOAA’s Role NOAA’s Integrated Water Forecasting Program: Responding to the Regional Imperative (2012)

3 The Delaware River Basin Watershed facts Longest undammed river east of the Mississippi 330 miles from Hancock, NY to the Atlantic Ocean 13,500 sq mi drainage 15 million people dependent for drinking water & industrial use National Estuary Program World’s largest freshwater port Port Complex generates $19 billion in annual economics activities

4 Delaware River Basin Commission

5 The Delaware River Basin Commission Why it was created Water supply shortages Disputes over water apportionment Severe pollution (open sewer WWII) Severe flooding 1931 – 400 MGD 1954 – 800 MGD –Decreed Parties (DE, NJ, PA, NY, NYC) –USGS River Master’s Office established to administer provisions of decree

6 Compact Public Law In the beginning Founded in 1961 Breakthrough in water resources management! 5 members – New York – Delaware – New Jersey – Pennsylvania – Federal Government Created regional body Equal partners in a river basin planning, development and regulatory agency Pioneer in environmental protection – blazes trail in water pollution abatement

7 Delaware River Basin Commission Their Programs Flood Loss Reduction Drought Management Water Supply Water Quality Watershed Planning Recreation Regulatory Review (permitting) Outreach/Education

8 Delaware River Basin Commission Advisory Committees Flood (flood loss reduction) Regulated Flow Water Management (ground water & water conservation) Water Quality Toxics Monitoring Information Management (basin information warehouse) Membership –43 state agencies –14 interstate agencies –19 federal agencies

9 Delaware River Basin Commission Water Resources Plan September y goal-based framework 5 desired results –Adequate, reliable supply of suitable quality water –Reduce flood losses –Integrate water resources management into land use & growth management –Strengthen partnerships for water resources management –Protect & restore basin’s water resources

10 NOAA National Weather Service

11 NOAA National Weather Service Our Involvement MARFC’s “home field” Upper Basin (WFO Binghamton NY) Lower Basin (WFO Mt Holly NJ) 13 Daily AHPS Points 23 Modeled Points 71 Supplement Points 30/60/90 day inflow forecasts –Neversink –Pepacton –Cannonsville Enhanced headwater guidance Cannonsville Reservoir Dec 2001

12 Research and Development - NWS Selected Activities at NWS Offices WFO Binghamton –Flash Flood Potential Index –KINEROS Flash Flood Modeling work MARFC –Assisting USGS with testing of Doppler stream gage technology –Calibration and evaluation of SAC-SMA rainfall runoff model –Calibration and testing of one hour time step model –Ensemble hydrologic forecast development –Developing improved forecast verification

13 DRBC Advisory Committees Our Involvement Flood Advisory Committee –Strong NWS presence –Alternating Committee Chair –Quarterly meetings Monitoring –NOS Dr. Jawed Hameedi

14 Interstate Flood Mitigation Task Force Our Involvement 3 devastating floods in 2 years 4 basin state governors request Task Force Team 45 recommendations –Reservoir Operations –Structural/Non-Structural Measures –Storm water Management –Floodplain Mapping –Floodplain Regulation –Flood Warning Flood Warning Category –14 recommendations –FY08/FY09 Earmarks

15 Omnibus Appropriations Act 2008/2009 Our Involvement Delaware River Enhanced Flood Warning System Administer funding disbursement –USGS –DRBC –NOAA 14 recommendation actions –Improve monitoring networks –Develop additional forecast pts –Merge GIS & radar technology to improve FFW –FIM –Ice & Snow

16 Water Supply Reservoirs & Flood Protection Our Involvement Public outcry following 3 severe main stem floods Reservoirs were full Setting the record straight (MARFC) Amended Flexible Flow Management Program to avoid full reservoirs coincident with major storms (NOHRSC)

17 Flood Analysis Model Motivation For IWRSS The USGS is the lead agency working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center (USACE - HEC) and the National Weather Service (NWS) to develop a flood analysis model for DRBC. Assist DRBC to evaluate the potential impacts that different initial storage levels at 15 major reservoirs would have had on flooding at forecast points located downstream for the 3 devastating floods between 2004 & Model results will help inform future reservoir management and policy decisions focusing on competing water storage demands in the basin.

18 Water Quality Pilot Study NOAA Involvement Delaware River Basin National Water Quality Monitoring Network Pilot Study NOAA Regional Collaboration (NART) & IWRS PATT EPA Grant Application: Assessing the Impacts of Global Climate Change to the Watershed –Develop hydrodynamic model –Predict movement of salinity, temperature & DO –Water Supply Management –Impacts on Oyster Populations

19 DRBC Executive Director Carol R. Collier Comprehensive Watershed Management & Planning. The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure United States House of Representatives Water does not respect political boundaries. To effectively manage water resources it must be done on the river’s terms – using geographic watershed boundaries, not political subdivisions. Our socio-economic world is based on political boundaries, so we need to find a way to bring the two worlds. No one agency can manage water resources. Water management is a collaborative process. It takes all levels of government and stakeholders from different sectors of the watershed. Federal agencies, state agencies, interstate basin commissions, local governments, non-profit watershed organizations, and the private sector all bring expertise to the table and can beneficially add to the process. Holistic watershed planning allows the development of the best team. DRBC works closely with many federal agencies, including the USACE, USGS, EPA, NOAA, USF&WS, NRCS, and NPS. They each have different sets of expertise and differing protocols for partnering and funding.

20 Community Hydrologic Prediction System (CHPS) NOAA Water Service Objectives NOAA’s Role: Provide accurate and reliable water forecasts (how much and what quality) Provide flood inundation forecast maps for 100% of high-impact river and coastal communities Reduce 1-7 day river forecast errors by 50% and quantify uncertainty Advance Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) Rivers and Floods Couple modeling systems for rivers, lakes and estuaries Coast, Estuary, River Information Services (CERIS) Coasts, Lakes and Estuaries Provide seamless suite of summit-to-sea high resolution water quantity and quality forecasts Integrated Water Resources Science and Services (IWRSS) Water Resources Advance and integrate observing systems for water resources Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3Objective 4 Objective 5 20

21 Integrated Water Resources Science & Services (IWRSS) Water Resources Challenges Deliver integrated, sustainable water resources solutions Integrate activities of stakeholders, federal and state agencies toward common objectives Partnerships Implement collaborative approaches to effectively solve water resources problems Objective Provide a seamless suite of consistent water resources monitoring and forecast information – summit to sea. Strategic Solution Integrate our water science and services. Collaborate, leverage existing and new partnerships, and adapt to exploit new models, data, systems, and water science. Vision for IWRSS Consortium Be the most useful government organization for stakeholders of our nation’s water resources and an unbiased, trusted broker of water resources information.

22 Compact Public Law In the beginning Founded in 1961 Breakthrough in water resources management! 5 members – New York – Delaware – New Jersey – Pennsylvania – Federal Government Created regional body Equal partners in a river basin planning, development and regulatory agency Pioneer in environmental protection – blazes trail in water pollution abatement