Posts by Chris Mele
Delaware River watershed comes alive at Philly museum
Exhibits at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University offer immersive lessons
Note: This is the second part of a two-part series about exhibits at Philadelphia museums that focus on the Delaware River watershed, water quality and how to keep our rivers healthy and thriving. Exhibits at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University now on display are a wonderland for water nerds. Not an environmental…
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Philly museums highlight life downstream and on the Delaware
Visit the Science History Institute and Independence Seaport Museum
Note: This is one part of a two-part series about exhibits at Philadelphia museums that focus on the Delaware River watershed, water quality and how to keep our rivers healthy and thriving. For those interested in learning more about water protection and quality, particularly as it relates to the Delaware River, be sure to visit…
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Experimental device to take aim at plastics in the Delaware
Smart Trash Boom, which is specially designed to work in the heavily trafficked river, is expected to be tested in 2023
A new weapon is set to be tested next year in the battle against plastics pollution that can accommodate the heavily trafficked Delaware River, an experimental device known as Smart Trash Boom, spearheaded by a Utah-based company. Company officials say the device is well suited to waterways like the Delaware that are frequented by container…
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Delaware River is largest source of plastics pollution in North America, report says
The study is one of several efforts to call attention to the issue
Amid continuing efforts to curb plastics in the Delaware River, a study finds that the river, among all the waterways in North America, is the leading source of macroplastics pollution in the Atlantic Ocean. The 2021 peer-reviewed study identified the top 1,000 river inputs worldwide that are conduits for 80 percent of the plastic pollution…
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Microplastics prevalent in samples from the Delaware River
Fibers made up the majority of the tiny plastics collected, study finds
Microplastics, tiny plastic fragments about as big as a sesame seed that can be harmful to aquatic life, were found in more than a dozen sites sampled in the Delaware River Estuary, a newly released study found. The report, spearheaded by the Delaware River Basin Commission, sought to inventory the distribution of microplastics in the…
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Cleanest streams in Northeastern Pennsylvania bring $3 billion in benefits, study finds
A report quantifies the ecological and economic value of specially protected streams, which are concentrated in the Poconos
Northeastern Pennsylvania’s “exceptional value” and “high quality” streams – the highest designations for the state’s most pristine waterways – are associated with nearly $3 billion worth of economic benefits to communities, businesses and land owners, according to a recent report sponsored by clean water supporters. The study also countered a popular narrative that environmental protections…
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$220M Clean Streams Fund stands to benefit Delaware River watershed
The program, adopted as part of Pennsylvania’s new budget, seeks to improve and protect water quality by helping farmers.
A newly created $220 million Pennsylvania state program largely aimed at improving and protecting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed will also benefit communities and farms in the Delaware River watershed. The program, the Clean Streams Funds, was recently included in the 2022-23 state budget and will underwrite initiatives to target so-called nonpoint pollution…
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Future of horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay in the cross-hairs, activists say
Fewer female crabs mean fewer eggs, which is bad news for red knot birds
Horseshoe crabs, those crawly creatures that look like they belong in an “Alien” movie, have survived for hundreds of millions of years. But now, their population in the Delaware Bay is threatened because of proposed new rules allowing more of them – particularly females — to be killed to meet a growing commercial demand for…
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Both sides on Delaware River National Park plan dig in
In the year since the plan was first proposed, opponents have galvanized while advances have been slow
Note: Since the time this article was published, Representative Josh Gottheimer has issued a statement clarifying his position about the Delaware River National Park. The article has been updated to reflect his statement. Drive along some roads in Sussex County, N.J., and Pike County, Pa., and you will see lawn signs that have sprouted like…
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Lackawaxen Basin earns top scores for water quality
Pristine conditions and lack of industry combine to keep it clean
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of stories exploring water quality in the nine basins in Pennsylvania that are part of the larger Delaware River watershed. How clean are your waterways, Pennsylvania? If the Lackawaxen basin in Pennsylvania were an Olympic competitor, it would easily win a gold medal. Of the nine…
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