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 21 Designated Urban Waters locations in this national program, which aims to reconnect urban communities —especially those that are overburdened or economically distressed—with their waterways by enhancing coordination among federal agencies.

You can learn more about  Urban Waters at the federal level here. You can view the federal 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, most of which are concentrated in urban areas.

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:

• Clean Waters and Healthy Habitats
  1. Reduce flooding through stormwater management and climate resiliency
  2. Conserve natural areas and restore lost habitat
  3. Improve water quality in the tributaries and main stem of the Delaware River
  4. Transform Brownfields sites into community assets
• Healthy, Resilient, and Accessible Communities
  1. Build local capacity by training, paying, funding, and empowering communities to become leaders of environmental stewardship
  2. Enhance and create public green space and waterfront access
  3. Increase outdoor recreation
  4. Engage underserved communities
  5. Equip communities to be resilient to climate change impacts
  6. Ensure sustainable development
  7. Support sustainable urban agriculture

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 bring together federal, inter-state, state, and regional nonprofit organizations to collaborate and share resources, fostering a unified approach to Urban Waters initiatives in the region.

Please contact John Harrod, PDE’s Engagement Director, at jharrod@delawareestuary.org.

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