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Established September 24, 1970, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission coordinates the water resource efforts of Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and the federal government in the Susquehanna River basin. The Susquehanna River is the nation's sixteenth largest river and is the largest river lying entirely in the United States that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Susquehanna and its hundreds of tributaries drain 27,510 square miles, an area nearly the size of South Carolina, spread over parts of the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The river meanders 444 miles from its origin at Otsego Lake near Cooperstown, New York, until it empties into the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace, Maryland. The Susquehanna contributes one-half of the freshwater flow to the Chesapeake Bay.
The river basin borders the major population centers of the east coast, and
although relatively undeveloped, has experienced problems of water pollution
and overusage. Because the Susquehanna River flows through three states and
is classified as a navigable waterway by the federal government, there are state,
regional, and national interests involved. There is a need to coordinate the
efforts of three states and the agencies of the federal government, as well
as a need to establish a management system to oversee the use of the water and
related natural resources of the Susquehanna.
These needs led to the drafting of the Susquehanna River Basin Compact, which
was signed into law on December 24, 1970. The Compact, as adopted by the Congress
of the United States, and the legislatures of New York State, Pennsylvania and
Maryland, provides the mechanism to guide the conservation, development, and
administration of the water resources of the vast river basin. The Compact established
the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) as the agency to coordinate the
water resources efforts of the three states and the federal government. Each
member is represented by a commissioner who serves as the spokesperson for the
government that he or she represents. In the case of the federal government,
the commissioner and his alternate are appointed by the President of the United
States. For the three states, the commissioners are the governors or their designees.
The governors also appoint alternate commissioners. The commissioners, or their
alternates, meet periodically to act on applications for projects using water,
adopt regulations, and direct planning and management activities affecting the
basin's water resources. Each of the four commissioners has a single vote. Under
the leadership of an Executive Director, technical, administrative, and clerical
personnel support the daily operations of the Commission.
The mission of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), which is defined
in the Compact, is to enhance public welfare through comprehensive planning,
water supply allocation, and management of the water resources of the Susquehanna
River Basin. To accomplish this mission, the SRBC works to: reduce damages caused
by floods; provide for the reasonable and sustained development and use of surface
and ground water for municipal, agricultural, recreational, commercial and industrial
purposes; protect and restore fisheries, wetlands and aquatic habitat; protect
water quality and stream uses; and ensure future availability of flows to the
Chesapeake Bay. The SRBC is uniquely qualified to carry out this mission. As
a federal-interstate compact commission, its focus is defined by the natural
boundaries of the river basin rather than the political boundaries of the member
states. As such, the SRBC serves as a forum to provide coordinated management,
promote communication among the members, and resolve water resource issues and
controversies within the basin.
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