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- BUSHKILL -- After a long struggle, the National Park Service (NPS) recently implemented its General Management Plan for a 35 mile stretch of the Middle Delaware between Port Jervis and Stroudsburg. The approval precedes the imminent release by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior of a markedly different River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware.
- NPS Superintendent Albert A. Hawkins, of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, stated in a July 16th cover letter, that the plan meets the requirements of Congress as set forth in Public Law 89-158 establishing the national recreation area (NRA).
- This NRA in the Middle Delaware stems from an early plan to construct the Tock's Islam Dam, originally proposed during a severe drought. In what has been described by some as one of the most shameful periods of American history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers evicted though sands of residents and bulldozed towns to make way for a dam that was never built.
- Responding in pan to public outcry, Congress effectively stopped the proposed dam in 1978 by including the Middle and Upper Delaware areas in the Wild and Scenic River System. Dam construction will not again be considered until after the year 2000.
- The federal government now owns 53,542 of the 69,629 acres within the NRA boundary, according to the plan. If the dam is ever built, much of the land would be flooded. But until then, the NRA will be administered by the NPS like a national park.
- The new plan calls for moderate development, as well as renovation of existing recreational facilities along the river. The program will entail spending of over $109 million in the next 10 years for recreational improvements and historic preservation.
- Over 2.2 million people visit the area each year, according to the NPS. The plan projects that this number will increase to about 6 million by 1996.
- Due to federal ownership of the NRA land, local government input regarding land and water use was virtually non-existent. The plan was written by the NPS, after taking into consideration comments received at a series of public hearings.
- To obtain a copy of the General Management Plan, or an abbreviated summary, write to: Albert A. Hawkins, Superintendent, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Bushkill, PA 18324.
Related external links
- Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
- Delaware National Scenic River
- Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River
- NPS Superintendent Albert A. Hawkins, of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, stated in a July 16th cover letter, that the plan meets the requirements of Congress as set forth in Public Law 89-158 establishing the national recreation area (NRA).
Thursday, August 6, 1987.
Middle Delaware okays Management Plan
By TOM RUE