View source for Delaware River Basin Commission

{{Distinguish|Delaware River and Bay Authority|Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission|Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission|Delaware River Port Authority}}
[[File:Delaware River Basin Commission map.svg|thumb|Member states]]
[[File:JFK closeup.jpg|thumb|On Nov. 2, 1961, President John F. Kennedy and the governors of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York signed the Delaware River Basin Compact at ceremony in the White House's Oval Office. This created the Delaware River Basin Commission.]]
The '''Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC)''' is a [[United States]] [[government agency]] created in 1961 by an [[interstate compact]], signed into law by President [[John F. Kennedy]], between four states ([[Pennsylvania]], [[Delaware]], [[New Jersey]], and [[New York (state)|New York]]).

==Purpose and activities==
[[File:Delaware river basin map.png|thumb|Delaware River watershed]]
The purpose of the Commission is to bring the [[Delaware River]] under collective and balanced control, and to ensure fair usage by the states.  To this end, the Commission conducts programs related to [[water quality]] protection, [[water supply]] allocation and [[water conservation]], [[Regulatory compliance|regulatory review]] and permitting, [[Drainage basin|watershed]] planning, [[drought]] management, [[flood mitigation]] and loss reduction, and recreational activities (such as [[fishing]]).

The DRBC was one of the first government agencies in the United States to address the problem of [[water pollution]].  The agency predates the establishment of the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] (1970) and the [[Clean Water Act]] (1972).<ref>{{cite web |title=Milestones |url=https://www.nj.gov/drbc/about/accomplishments.html |date=2020-06-23 |publisher=Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) |location=West Trenton, NJ}}</ref>

==Membership==
The five members of the commission include the four [[List of current United States governors|state governors]] of the member states and the division engineer, North Atlantic Division, [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]], who serves as the ex-officio U.S. member. As of 2021 the commission chair is Delaware Governor [[John Carney (Delaware politician)|John Carney]] and the Federal Representative is Brigadier General Thomas J. Tickner.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.gov/drbc/about/commissioners/ |title=Commissioners |date=2021-02-10 |publisher=DRBC}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|New Jersey}}
* [[Partnership for the Delaware Estuary]] - Regional nonprofit organization

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.nj.gov/drbc/ Official site]
*[https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/delaware-river-basin-commission Delaware River Basin Commission] in the [[Federal Register]]
*[http://archives.delaware.gov/collections/aghist/0901.shtml#TopOfPage Brief history of the Commission from the Delaware State Archives]

{{Delaware River and Delaware Bay}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:United States interstate agencies]]
[[Category:Delaware River]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1961]]
[[Category:Water management authorities in the United States]]
[[Category:Water law in the United States]]
[[Category:Delaware law]]
[[Category:New York (state) law]]
[[Category:New Jersey law]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania law]]