Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
PL 106-418 (S.1296), enacted 11/01/2000

PUBLIC LAW 106-418—NOV. 1, 2000 
114 STAT. 1817 
Public Law 106-418 
106th Congress 
An Act 
To designate portions of the lower Delaware River and associated tributaries as 
Nov. 1, 2000 
a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 
[g i296] 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled. 
Lower Delaware 
Wild and Scenic 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
Rivers Act. 
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This Act may be cited as the Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic note. 
Rivers Act". 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) Public Law 102-460 directed the Secretary of the 
Interior, in cooperation and consultation with appropriate Fed-
eral, State, regional, and local agencies, to conduct a study 
of the eligibility and suitability of the lower Delaware River 
for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System; 
(2) during the study, the Lower Delaware Wild £ind Scenic 
River Study Task Force and the National Park Service prepared 
a river management plan for the study area entitled "Lower 
Delaware River Management Plan" and dated August 1997, 
which establishes goals and actions that will ensure long-term 
protection of the river's outstanding values and compatible 
management of land and water resources associated with the 
river; and 
(3) after completion of the study, 24 municipalities along 
segments of the Delaware River eligible for designation passed 
resolutions supporting the Lower Delaware River Management 
Plan, agreeing to take action to implement the goals of the 
plan, and endorsing designation of the river. 
SEC. 3 DESIGNATION. 
Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1274(a)) is amended— 
(1) by designating the first undesignated paragraph fol-
lowing paragraph 156, pertaining to Elkhorn Creek and enacted 
by Public Law 104-208, as paragraph 157; 
(2) by designating the second undesignated paragraph fol-
lowing paragraph 156, pertaining to the Clarion River, Pennsyl-
vania, and enacted by Public Law 104-314, as paragraph 158; 
(3) by designating the third undesignated paragraph fol-
lowing paragraph 156, pertaining to the Lamprey River, New 
Hampshire, £ind enacted by Public Law 104-333, as paragraph 
159; 
114 STAT. 1818 
PUBLIC LAW 106-418—NOV. 1, 2000 
(4) by striking the fourth undesignated paragraph following 
paragraph 156, pertaining to Elkhorn Creek and enacted by 
Public Law 104-333; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
New Jersey. 
"(161) LOWER DELAWARE RIVER AND ASSOCIATED TRIBU-
Pennsylvania. 
TARIES, NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA.—(A) The 65.6 miles 
of river segments in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, consisting 
of— 
"(i) the segment from river mile 193.8 to the northern 
border of the city of Easton, Pennsylvania (approximately 
10.5 miles), as a recreational river; 
"(ii) the segment from a point just south of the Gilbert 
Generating Station to a point just north of the Point Pleas-
ant Pumping Station (approximately 14,2 miles), as a rec-
reational river; 
"(iii) the segment from the point just south of the 
Point Pleasant Pumping Station to a point 1,000 feet north 
of the Route 202 bridge (approximately 6.3 miles), as a 
recreational river; 
"(iv) the segment from a point 1,750 feet south of 
the Route 202 bridge to the southern border of the town 
of New Hope, Pennsylvania (approximately 1.9 miles), as 
a recreational river; 
"(v) the segment from the southern boundary of the 
town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, to the town of Wash-
ington Crossing, Pennsylvania (approximately 6 miles), as 
a recreational river; 
"(vi) Tinicum Creek (approximately 14,7 miles), as a 
scenic river; 
"(vii) Tohickon Creek from the Lake Nockamixon Dam 
to the Delaware River (approximately 10.7 miles), as a 
scenic river; and 
"(viii) Paunacussing Creek in Solebury Township 
(approximately 3 miles), as a recreational river. 
"(B) ADMINISTRATION.—^The river segments referred to in 
subparagraph (A) shall be administered by the Secretary of 
the Interior. Notwithstanding section 10(c), the river segments 
shall not be administered as part of the National Park System.". 
16 use 1274 
SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT OF RIVER SEGMENTS. 
(a) MANAGEMENT OF SEGMENTS.—^The river segments des-
ignated in section 3 shall be managed— 
(1) in accordance with the river management plan entitled 
"Lower Delaware River Management Plan" and dated August 
1997 (referred to as the "management plan"), prepared by the 
Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River Study Task Force and 
the National Park Service, which establishes goals and actions 
that will ensure long-term protection of the river's outstanding 
values and compatible management of land and water resources 
associated with the river; and 
(2) in cooperation with appropriate Federal, State, regional, 
and local agencies, including— 
(A) the New Jersey Department of Environmental 
Protection; 
(B) the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and 
Natural Resources; 
PUBLIC LAW 106-418—NOV. 1, 2000 
114 STAT. 1819 
(C) the Delaware and Lehigh Navigation Canal Herit-
age Corridor Commission; 
(D) the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission; and 
(E) the Delaware River Greenway Partnership. 
(b) SATISFACTION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR PLAN.—The manage-
ment plan shall be considered to satisfy the requirements for a 
comprehensive management plan under subsection 3(d) of the Wild 
and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(d)). 
(c) FEDERAL ROLE.— 
(1) RESTRICTIONS ON WATER RESOURCE PROJECTS.—In deter-
mining under section 7(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1278(a)) whether a proposed water resources project 
would have a direct and adverse effect on the value for which 
a segment is designated as part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers 
System, the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to 
as the "Secretary") shall consider the extent to which the project 
is consistent with the management plan. 
(2) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—^Any cooperative agree-
ments entered into under section 10(e) of the Wild and Scenic 
Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1281(e)) relating to any of the segments 
designated by this Act shall— 
(A) be consistent with the management plan; and 
(B) may include provisions for financial or other assist-
ance from the United States to facilitate the long-term 
protection, conservation, and enhancement of the segments. 
(3) SUPPORT FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—^The Secretary may 
provide technical assistance, staff support, and funding to assist 
in the implementation of the management plan. 
(d) LAND MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—^The Secretary may provide planning, 
financial, and technical assistance to local municipalities to 
assist in the implementation of actions to protect the natural, 
economic, and historic resources of the river segments des-
ignated by this Act. 
(2) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—^After adoption of recommenda-
tions made in section III of the management plan, the zoning 
ordinances of the municipalities bordering the segments shall 
be considered to satisfy the standards and requirements under 
section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1277(c)). 
(e) ADDITIONAL SEGMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In this paragraph, the term "additional 
segment" means— 
(A) the segment from the Delaware Water Gap to 
the Toll Bridge connecting Columbia, New Jersey, and 
Portland, Pennsylvania (approximately 9.2 miles), which, 
if made part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 
accordance with this paragraph, shall be administered by 
the Secretary as a recreational river; 
(B) the segment from the Erie Lackawanna railroad 
bridge to the southern tip of Dildine Island (approximately 
3.6 miles), which, if made part of the Wild and Scenic 
Rivers System in accordance with this paragraph, shall 
be administered by the Secretary as a recreational river; 
(C) the segment from the southern tip of Mack Island 
to the northern border of the town of Belvidere, New Jersey 
(approximately 2 miles), which, if made part of the Wild 
114 STAT. 1820 
PUBLIC LAW 106-418—NOV. 1, 2000 
Federal Register, 
publication. 
and Scenic Rivers System in accordance with this para-
graph, shall be administered by the Secretary as a rec-
reational river; 
(D) the segment from the southern border of the town 
of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to a point just north of Gilbert 
(Generating Station (approximately 9.5 miles), which, if 
made part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System in accord-
ance with this paragraph, shall be administered by the 
Secretary as a recreational river; 
(E) Paulinskill River in Knowlton Township (approxi-
mately 2.4 miles), which, if made part of the Wild and 
Scenic Rivers System in accordance with this paragraph, 
shall be administered by the Secretary as a recreational 
river; and 
(F) Cook's Creek (approximately 3.5 miles), which, if 
made part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System in accord-
ance with this paragraph, shall be administered by the 
Secretary as a scenic river. 
(2) FINDING.—Congress finds that each of the additional 
segments is suitable for designation as a recreational river 
or scenic river under this paragraph, if there is adequate local 
support for the designation. 
(3) DESIGNATION.—If the Secretary finds that there is ade-
quate local support for designating any of the additional seg-
ments as a recreational river or scenic river— 
(A) the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register 
a notice of the designation of the segment; and 
(B) the segment shall thereby be designated as a rec-
reational river or scenic river, as the case may be, in 
accordance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1271etseq.). 
(4) CRITERIA FOR LOCAL SUPPORT.—In determining whether 
there is adequate local support for the designation of an addi-
tional segment, the Secretary shall consider, among other 
things, the preferences of local governments expressed in resolu-
tions concerning designation of the segment. 
PUBLIC LAW 106-418—NOV. 1, 2000 
114 STAT. 1821 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
16 USC 1274 
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this Act. 
Approved November 1, 2000. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 1296: 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 106-207 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 145 (1999): Nov. 19, considered and passed Senate. 
Vol. 146 (2000): Oct. 17, considered and passed House.