It’s only a drill, thankfully

So, the scenario was a train derailment in the Upper Delaware River, which, the story went, leaked hazardous materials into the Delaware.

Only a drill, right?

The drill is not the story. The story is in the shortcomings and lessons revealed in the drill. 

We did that story when we got the proper information: Upper Delaware River hazmat drill reveals shortcomings in responses.

And the shortcomings — even if it was “only” a drill — are important because our drinking water is at stake because, well: Train Derailment on the West Branch of the Delaware River.

That was on August 9, 2018. From that story: “Diesel fuel leaked into the West Branch of the Delaware River and was carried into Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. A sheen of oil and the smell of diesel was observed as far south as Lordville, NY.”

But more recently: A March 2, 2024, train derailment led to the spills of diesel fuel and plastic pellets into the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania.

Accidents will happen, of course, and we must be prepared for them. All the agencies involved in an accident must be ready. And as this latest Upper Delaware drill pointed out, there were problems with the responses and communications.

For us, what’s just as significant was how hard it was to get the information about the drill preparation, execution and post-mortem. Some of the agencies were cooperative, some were not.

We relied on requests through the Freedom of Information Act and Right-to-Know Laws, for example, to get at the facts, which you can read in the story.

But we wanted to make sure we told you the story behind the story in an editorial report we published on Monday called “Darts and laurels for Upper Delaware hazmat drill.” 

We think it’s important that you know how the agencies that work for you, report back (or not) to you.

Drought conditions plague the basin

On another serious note, the Delaware River Basin Commission is holding a special hearing on the current basin-wide drought conditions on Nov. 19. It will be on Zoom so anyone can attend. Follow DRBC’s directions to get registered.

Many people in the basin were concerned about the possibility of flooding as a result of the Delaware Aqueduct shutdown, but Mother Nature pulled a fast one, as is likely to happen in the era of climate change. 

We’re now worried about droughts and forest fires all over the basin. Check out this link to see what I mean.

We have written many stories about how the water in the river is managed — the overarching document that guides what is the Flexible Flow Management Program and the “officer in charge” is the Supreme Court-appointed River Master at the United States Geological Survey.

The office was put in place to ensure there is enough water coming from the reservoirs to push the salt water from the ocean away from drinking water intakes in the basin.

Right now, that salt front is 17 miles farther upriver from its normal position, despite releases from lower river reservoirs. 

There’s also a basin-wide drought management plan, which is based on the amount of storage in the three New York City reservoirs and right now they’re lower than usual. 

But, because of the aqueduct project, New York City is not “currently diverting water from the Delaware River Basin reservoirs while the repair is being made,” according to the DRBC’s news release, which offers good background on all of this.

On these unseasonably warm and sunny days, we exult in the beauty of our river, but it takes a ton of management and understanding to keep it both beautiful and able to fulfill all the demands we make on it.

And for some good news

OK, this newsletter is getting long but I really wanted to share with you some good news! 

Delaware Currents is now part of the Spotlight Delaware news collaborative, which gives Delaware Currents the opportunity to run important stories about the river written by smart people in the First State. We’ll also share Delaware Currents stories of interest to Delawareans — all free!!

Of course, you know it’s not really free. Those in the news media and Delaware Currents need your financial support to keep making news available to you.

As we face new headwinds that might try to diminish the importance of our work, it’s time to buckle down and work together. 

Oh, and here’s the first story that we’ve run as part of that collaborative, about the difficulties facing Delaware’s Edgemoor port proposals.

And there are lots more stories on the Delaware Currents site, so have a look around!!

Thanks for reading!!