2.2: Water-Based Recreation

Enhance water-based recreation in the river and its tributaries.

Other Information:

The Basin’s National Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Appalachian Trail, and numerous game lands, parks and forests can be linked to optimize recreational experiences. Creating a Delaware Basin recreational use and access plan. The need exists for regional recreational use and access planning that provides for overall integrated management of recreation and tourism, protects water resources from recreational impacts, provides enjoyment and convenient access, and protects the health and safety of recreational users. A Basin-wide recreation and tourism plan should include strategies to: • Promote the Basin as a tourist destination • Provide additional public access to waterways • Create a linked water trail system • Increase the scope and frequency of stream and river trash collection • Maintain or improve recreational water quality • Avoid impacts from recreational use • Improve the connections of communities to their waterways The streams and rivers of the Basin are attractive natural transportation routes. However, they are often isolated from one another, located on or very near private property, or lack access sites or safety features. Hazards abound near urban areas, in the vicinity of dams, and where high-speed roads and railroads share space with recreational users. Generally, few amenities are available to travelers along water corridors. Inconsiderate recreational use can degrade environmental quality, especially through physical impacts to sensitive riparian ecologies. Challenges lie in understanding thresholds and, where necessary, setting limits to human use. Coordinated efforts are needed to expand access and enhance the recreation experience of the river-using public. Numerous entities in the Basin are involved in providing recreation and tourism services, yet regional connections are lacking between towns along waterways; between user and provider communities; and between states. Implementation of recreation and tourism objectives requires a serious coordination effort by public and private entities. Promoting visual and physical access to waterways in community development plans. This requires concerted efforts to educate developers, officials, and the public about the opportunities waterway corridors can offer for recreation, and the need to promote access through local planning. Legal barriers to increasing public access need to be investigated. Developing operating plans for reservoirs. Public and private reservoirs serve a variety of important purposes, including public water supply, power generation, flow augmentation and flood control. They also provide recreational opportunities (both at the facilities and downstream). Facility functions can be prescribed by statute and/or subject to regulatory approvals of the Delaware River Basin Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or other agencies, and their operating plans must reflect their prescribed functions.

Objective(s):

2.2.A: Recreational and Public Access Plan

2.2.B: Basin-Wide Recreation Plan

2.2.C: Water Trails

2.2.D: Debris and Trash

2.2.E: Interstate Recreational Tourism Campaign

2.2.F: Ecological Integrity

2.2.G: Water-Based Recreational Assets

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