Officials with the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) said they have released billions of gallons of water from upstream reservoirs to keep the river to acceptable levels in Philadelphia, but other protective measures might have to be taken if conditions persist. That could include reducing more reservoir releases or diverting water from elsewhere. DRBC officials said during a virtual public hearing on the drought that the salt front in the river has encroached well above its normal level near Wilmington. Currently, it is near Philadelphia International Airport. The salt front is a metric that shows salinity in the tidal portion of the river. Philadelphia pulls drinking water from the river at its Samuel S. Baxter Water Treatment Plant in Torresdale, which is about 20 miles above the airport. The DRBC watches to ensure the salt front does not encroach that far. The front, which moves upriver during a drought without freshwater to push it down, indicates water that is not safe to drink. Currently, the front is at mile marker 89. The Philadelphia intake is at mile marker 110. The front is normally at mile marker 70. The front has not reached the Schuylkill since a drought in the 1960s when it reached mile marker 102.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 11/19/2024