The 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 2023 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund Projects Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

ProjectGranteeLocationAward amount
Habitat Enhancement and Water Quality Improvement in Banning Regional ParkNew Castle CountyWilmington, Delaware$230,223
Implementation of Kalmar Nyckel Living Shoreline and Riparian Habitat RestorationPartnership for the Delaware Estuary, Inc.Wilmington, Delaware$227,875
Pachella Gully Restoration and Public Access ImprovementsFriends of the WissahickonPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania$569,120
Shedbrook Creek Restoration and Sedge Meadow Improvement to Create a Climate-Resilient FDR ParkFairmount Park ConservancyPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania$1,500,000
Improving Public Access and Recreation in the Pennsylvania Portion of the Delaware RiverThe Pennsylvania Fish and Boat CommissionPennsylvania portion of the Delaware River Watershed$1,000,000
Restoring Suitability for Spawning Horseshoe Crabs and Critical Habitat for Red KnotsAmerican Littoral SocietyCumberland County, New Jersey$1,000,000

Fiscal Year 2022 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund Projects Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Project GranteeLocationAward amount
Restoring upland habitats in the Blackbird Creek watershedDelaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Coastal ProgramsTownsend, 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 2020Wilmington, Delaware$500,000
Reconnecting Hermesprota Creek to its floodplain in Conway Park for environmental and community resilienceDarby Township Darby Township, Pennsylvania $199,000
Removing three dams on the Bushkill Stream to restore fish passageWildlands ConservancyEaston, Pennsylvania $1,000,000
Advancing living-shoreline design and permitting along an urban Delaware River waterfrontPartnership for the Delaware EstuaryCroydon, Pennsylvania $96,800
Streamlining stormwater work through the Growing Greener Communities program

 		Pennsylvania Resources CouncilMunicipalities in Delaware County and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania $293,700
Designing a riverfront trail and greenway along the Schuylkill River to connect communities to the riverSchuylkill River Development CorporationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania  $90,000
Restoring streambank along Bushkill Creek at the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

 		Pennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationBushkill 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 CommissionNewtown, Pennsylvania $750,000

 

Removing the No Name and Cedar Grove Dams on the Pequest River 

 The Nature ConservancyWhite Township, New Jersey$266,100
Using nature-based solutions to improve passage for aquatic organisms in the Upper Delaware River watershedU.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 watershedThe Nature ConservancyWatershed-wide$107,000

Programs

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