The goal of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) is to restore and reconnect urban communities, particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed, to waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and partners. There are 20 different Designated Urban Waters Locations in this national environmental justice program. Each Urban Waters location collaborates with local community-led revitalization efforts to improve water systems and promote their economic, environmental, and social benefits.

You can learn more about  Urban Waters at the federal level here. You can view the Urban Waters Progress Report here.

The Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed Urban Waters Federal Partnership Location encompasses four major cities and their surrounding urban areas draining to the Lower Delaware River:

• Camden, NJ
• Chester, PA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Wilmington, DE

Over 15 million people (roughly 5 percent of the nation’s population) rely on the waters of the Delaware River Basin for drinking, agricultural and industrial use.

View our flyer with info about UWFP and the Delaware River Location HERE.

The Delaware River Location strives to, alongside community members, revitalize and remedy aging infrastructure, a history of environmental pollution, and the brunt of increasing climate change impacts on already-vulnerable communities. Priorities for the Delaware River Location include:

• Stormwater management
• Erosion and flooding control
• Source water protection
• Restoring lost habitat
• Enhancing overall waterway health
• Protecting community investments
• Promoting public access, health, sustainability, and safety
• Pursuing environmental, socioeconomic, and climate justice
• Transforming Brownfields Sites into community assets
• Building local capacity by empowering communities to become leaders of environmental stewardship
• Equipping communities to be resilient and adaptable to climate change impacts

View our 2023 Workplan HERE for more information about the goals and initiatives of this location.

There are many ways to be involved as an Urban Waters partner! Do you need additional resources, letters of support, or funds for a project? Do you want to get involved in our monthly meetings?

Our workgroup meetings are made up of federal, inter-state, state, and regional non-profit organizations. Our next workgroup meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, 2023 from 11am-12pm Eastern Time on Zoom.

If you are community group working on a project, the UWFP Ambassador is more than happy to write you a Letter of Support from this Urban Waters location! Click HERE to download the guidelines are email the UWFP Ambassador with your letter of support request.

The Delaware River Location also has a Community Funding Program to assist with local restoration  projects such as community greening and open space revitalization. The 2023 RFP will be released in the spring.

Please reach out to this location’s Urban Waters Ambassador, Erica Rossetti, at ERossetti@DelawareEstuary.org.

Additional resources from past meetings and from our past webinar series can be found below.

Webinar #1 – Learning from from Philadelphia, and Connecting to Youth through Shad (11/2/2020)

• John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum – Philadelphia, PA
  • View the presentation slides HERE
• Discovery Center – Philadelphia, PA
  • View the presentation slides HERE
• Brandywine River Shad Project
  • View the presentation slides HERE

Webinar #2 -Voices from Camden, New Jersey: Urban Promise and the Center for Aquatic Sciences (11/10/2020)

• UrbanPromise – Camden, NJ
  • View the presentation slides HERE
  • UrbanPromise UrbanTrekkers
  • Tidal Cooper River Paddle Video
• Center for Aquatic Sciences at Adventure Aquarium – Camden, NJ
  • View the presentation slides HERE

Webinar #3- Connecting with the Delaware Natural History Museum and the Alliance for Watershed Education (11/17/2020)

• Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River
• Delaware Museum of Natural History – Wilmington, DE
  • View the presentation slides HERE

  • Links to digitized natural history collections reviewed on the webinar:

    • InvertEBase.org
    • iDigBio.org
    • Vertnet.org
    • bceenetwork.org

This virtual series provided information on environmental justice policies, present Brownfield project updates in the Urban Waters cities, and focus on community activities related to environmental justice. Click here for the detailed agenda.

Webinar #1: Environmental Justice and Urban Waters (3/25/2021)

• • Urban Waters Overview and Updates
  • Defining Environmental Justice – Delaware Community Benefits Agreement Coalition
  • Federal Perspectives on Environmental Justice (US Senator Chris Coons of Delaware Office, US EPA, US Department of the Interior, NOAA)
  • Overview of New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Legislation

Webinar #2: Urban Waters Cities Brownfields Updates (4/1/2021)

• • Philadelphia Updates from Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (South Wetlands Park, Graffiti Pier Park)
  • Camden Updates from New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Phoenix Park)
  • Wilmington Updates from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Brightfields, Inc (South Wilmington Wetlands)

Webinar #3: Environmental Justice Community Initiatives (4/8/2021)

• • Port of Wilmington Expansion / DuPont Edgemoor Brownfield Property – Delaware Community Benefits Agreement Coalition
  • Equitability of Access for Oysters – Delaware Sea Grant and Ocean Food Systems, University of New England
  • John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
  • Environmental Justice on the Elizabeth River
  • Reconnecting Camden Residents to Their Historic Waterfront

This virtual series explored the state of equitable and resilient housing today, showcased local success stories, and provided a platform to bridge the gaps between communities and federal agencies so that our resources are maximized. The goal of this series was to emphasize the inclusion of collaboration and green solutions in equitably revitalizing our cities. The future can be full of green infrastructure, climate resilience, equitable accessibility, clean energy and transportation, and thriving ecosystems and economies if we connect the dots on these intersectional issues together. Click on the presentation titles under each webinar for access to the slides.

Webinar #1: Framework (1/11/2022)

• Building Green Space Equitably (Gloria McNair, Groundwork Jacksonville)
• Building Equity Through Community-Based Leadership in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward (Arthur Johnson, CSED)

Webinar #2: Local Stories (1/18/2022)

• Claymont, Delaware, Riverfront Park (Brett Saddler, CDRC)
• Community Resilience in Camden, NJ (Frank McLaughlin, NJ DEP)
• Tidal Marsh Restoration in Southwest Philadelphia (Bart Wilson, U.S. FWS)

Webinar #3: Federal Response (1/25/2022)

• HUD: Climate Action Plan (Justin Scheid, HUD)
  • Climate Action Plan
  • Competitive or Non-Competitive HUD Grants Information
  • Cramer Hill Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan
• FEMA: Partnering to Advance resilience and Equity in Disaster Work (Shannon McLachlan, FEMA)
  • Building Community Resilience with Nature-Based Solutions: A Guide for Local Officials
  • Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
  • Guides to Expanding Mitigation
  • Hazard Mitigation Assistance Mitigation Action Portfolio
  • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
  • The Nature Conservancy: Promoting Nature-Based Hazard Mitigation Through FEMA Mitigation Grants
  • National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) – Working with Recovery Support Functions
  • 2022–2026 FEMA Strategic Plan
• EPA: Communities and Equitable Revitalization at EPA Region 2 (Nicki Alexander, Towana Boutin, and Lance Caldwell, EPA)
  • • Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program
    • Climate Adaptation Program
    • EJSCREEN Tool
    • Environmental Justice Action Plan
    • Local Foods Local Places
    • Recreation Economy for Rural Communities

Additional resources:

• Justice40
• Equitable Development and Anti-Displacement Collaborative