States
Delaware, New Jersey, New York, PennsylvaniaThe Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted in November 2021, made a historic $26-million dollar investment in the the Delaware River watershed that will be distributed through the Service's Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund over the next five years. The funding from the infrastructure law will be awarded to projects that use nature-based solutions to restore fish and wildlife habitat and support community vitality in the watershed.
This funding comes at a critical time for addressing the needs of people and wildlife in a changing climate. The projects made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation’s infrastructure and economic competitiveness. We were directly appropriated $455 million over five years in BIL funds for programs related to the President’s America the Beautiful initiative.
Learn more about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help partners keep pace with rapid change by targeting areas of greatest need, based on input from those who live there. Many of the projects directly engage community members in addressing issues such as flood mitigation, water quality, and safe access to nature in their neighborhoods.
Fiscal Year 2024 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund Projects Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
| Project | Grantee | Location | Award amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Capacity for Dam Removals in the Delaware River - II | The Nature Conservancy | Multistate | $94,100 |
| Improving Water Quality and Access to Nature at Rodney Reservoir Park | City of Wilmington | Wilmington, Delaware | $500,000 |
| Connecting Rivers and Community: Brook Trout Restoration in the Upper Delaware River | Trout Unlimited | Delaware County and Sullivan County, New York | $779,300 |
| Restoring Habitat and Increasing Equitable Access to Nature at FDR Park | Fairmount Park Conservancy | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $1,500,000 |
| Stroud Preserve Recreation Access and Floodplain Restoration | Natural Lands Trust | West Chester Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania | $830,400 |
| Implementing Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Philadelphia Schoolyards | The Nature Conservancy | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $1,069,400 |
Fiscal Year 2023 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund Projects Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
| Project | Grantee | Location | Award amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat Enhancement and Water Quality Improvement in Banning Regional Park | New Castle County | Wilmington, Delaware | $230,223 |
| Implementation of Kalmar Nyckel Living Shoreline and Riparian Habitat Restoration | Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Inc. | Wilmington, Delaware | $227,875 |
| Pachella Gully Restoration and Public Access Improvements | Friends of the Wissahickon | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $569,120 |
| Shedbrook Creek Restoration and Sedge Meadow Improvement to Create a Climate-Resilient FDR Park | Fairmount Park Conservancy | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $1,500,000 |
| Improving Public Access and Recreation in the Pennsylvania Portion of the Delaware River | The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission | Pennsylvania portion of the Delaware River Watershed | $1,000,000 |
| Restoring Suitability for Spawning Horseshoe Crabs and Critical Habitat for Red Knots | American Littoral Society | Cumberland County, New Jersey | $1,000,000 |
Fiscal Year 2022 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund Projects Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
| Project | Grantee | Location | Award amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restoring upland habitats in the Blackbird Creek watershed | Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Coastal Programs | Townsend, Delaware | $176,400 |
| Data collection, design, consultation, and permitting for fish passage fish passage Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people. Learn more about fish passage at dam no. 5 on the Brandywine Creek | Brandywine Shad 2020 | Wilmington, Delaware | $500,000 |
| Reconnecting Hermesprota Creek to its floodplain in Conway Park for environmental and community resilience | Darby Township | Darby Township, Pennsylvania | $199,000 |
| Removing three dams on the Bushkill Stream to restore fish passage | Wildlands Conservancy | Easton, Pennsylvania | $1,000,000 |
| Advancing living-shoreline design and permitting along an urban Delaware River waterfront | Partnership for the Delaware Estuary | Croydon, Pennsylvania | $96,800 |
| Streamlining stormwater work through the Growing Greener Communities program | Pennsylvania Resources Council | Municipalities in Delaware County and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania | $293,700 |
| Designing a riverfront trail and greenway along the Schuylkill River to connect communities to the river | Schuylkill River Development Corporation | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $90,000 |
| Restoring streambank along Bushkill Creek at the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center | Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation | Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania | $626,300 |
| Removing the Spring Garden Dam on Neshaminy Creek to restore fish passage for American shad, alewife, and blueback herring | Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission | Newtown, Pennsylvania | $750,000 |
| Removing the No Name and Cedar Grove Dams on the Pequest River | The Nature Conservancy | White Township, New Jersey | $266,100 |
| Using nature-based solutions to improve passage for aquatic organisms in the Upper Delaware River watershed | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New York Ecological Services Field Office | Hancock, Deposit, Roxbury, and Colchester, New York | $635,500 |
| Building capacity for dam remove throughout the Delaware River watershed | The Nature Conservancy | Watershed-wide | $107,000 |
