Water Quality | Lower Delaware River

Wild and Scenic River	Reporting Cycle	Miles by Water Quality Classification	Listed Impairments
Lower Delaware	2016, 2014	Good: 25.7 Impaired: 44.1 Unassessed: 0	PCB in Fish Tissue; Aluminum; Mercury in Fish Tissue; pH; DDT in Fish Tissue; Chlordane in Fish Tissue; Turbidity; Water/Flow Variability; Siltation; Other Habitat Alterations; Impaired Biota

Wild and Scenic Rivers, like all rivers, are protected under the Clean Water Act, which requires states to establish water quality standards for waters within their jurisdiction. Every two years, states are required to report whether these standards are being met. In 2018, NPS compiled information from the most recent state assessments to identify the water quality status of all designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. Based on the information available at the time, NPS determined that roughly 44% of all Wild and Scenic River miles did not meet their water quality standards, with temperature, mercury, and metals being the most common causes of impairment. Want to learn more about Wild and Scenic River water quality? Read the full report found on the rivers.gov website here.

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