The great battle of our time will be over water—pure, fresh water in particular. All earthly life depends upon water for survival. The human population worldwide, now 7.3 billion, is projected to be 9.6 billion by 2050. Even today, much of the world lacks adequate water for drinking and sanitation. Almost everywhere, different interests battle over water distribution. We read of dire problems in California where drought has intensified competing demands. Natural resources (made unnatural by human intervention) are stressed to the breaking point. Can the Upper Delaware River be far behind?

Perhaps this is why so many talented and concerned individuals recently attended a two-day conference on the banks of the Upper Delaware: Water, Water, Everywhere-2014, hosted by Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR). More than 80 key players including scientists, educators, planners, regulators, government officials, Trout Unlimited personnel, representatives of the Upper Delaware Council, fishing guides, writers and policymakers all gave of themselves by participating.

The importance of the Upper Delaware River both as a drinking water resource for 15 million people, and to the riparian communities as both an economic driver and ecological jewel was explored. Clearly, there are competing demands for that resource. While in most years there is enough water in the Delaware to go around, there’s not enough to waste.

So it is not surprising that much of the conference centered on these competing demands. River and fisheries advocates have advanced a series of proposals for enhanced releases that inexplicably have been neither accepted nor rejected by the “Decree Parties” (the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, and NYC), who according to the 1954 Supreme Court decree manage the river. The Decree Parties, legally empowered as the deciders, do not meet on a regular basis. There are questionable release protocols in place on the Delaware, which are not currently being reviewed or re-evaluated. And when worthwhile propositions are suggested for improved water management practices, there is no accessible mechanism for a fair hearing. The Decree Parties act too much like the wizard behind the curtain… the great and mighty Oz knows all.

When an improvement to the system is suggested, why isn’t it carefully considered? Sadly, the Decree Party/DRBC rules are set up so that “outside” advocates can’t even put a proposal before the parties without one of the parties themselves advocating for it, or giving the proponent permission to speak to the parties. The Regulated Flow Advisory Committee, which is charged with analyzing these issues, hasn’t met in over a year. There is no known plan to call a meeting, and no Decree Parties Principals meeting is scheduled either. The State of New York has a lot at stake from an economic, environmental and recreational standpoint. Isn’t it high time for the NY Principal and the NYS DEC to advocate more actively for Upper Delaware interests?

The participation of U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson at the conference was valuable and refreshing. Clearly, he has made the effort to become fully engaged and knowledgeable on the issues, and I hope we can rely on him in our advocacy.

But what can the rest of us do? Anglers can start by becoming supporters of FUDR, or you can join Trout Unlimited, whose Upper Delaware Chapter is the most directly involved. Our collective voices for enhanced cold water releases and greater management transparency must not go unheard. Past efforts led to the 2007 Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP) and subsequent improvements. We need to see a rebirth of that kind of vision and leadership. (E-mail me at andyboyar@gmail.com for comments and upcoming events.)