For Immediate Release

November 8, 2018

(West Trenton, N.J.) -- The Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General recently released its Performance Audit Report of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), which was mandated by legislation passed by the Pa. General Assembly in 2017.

"The DRBC thanks Auditor General Eugene A. DePasquale and his staff for their professionalism and attention to detail as they completed their charge," said DRBC Executive Director Steve Tambini. "The DRBC generally agrees with the report’s findings and recommendations, which reinforce what we already knew: that the expenses of the commission and its officers are reasonable; that while the commission’s work is complementary to that of the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), further opportunities to work collaboratively and efficiently should be explored; and that not all commission members are paying their agreed upon contributions to support DRBC’s budget."

The period for the Performance Audit was the Fiscal Year 2017, or July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, and it was completed during the summer of 2018. The Performance Audit looked at six objectives, including the commission’s fixed and variable costs; the costs of salaries, benefits, and expense reimbursements to commission officers and employees; contributions by the commonwealth in comparison to those by other members to support the commission’s operating expenses; and how to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

"Through the commission, the four basin states and the federal government together advance vital water management objectives for the Delaware River Basin that none of them could achieve on their own. We are always seeking ways to be more efficient and effective, and we look forward to working with the commonwealth and our other state and federal partners to implement the majority of the report’s recommendations," continued Tambini.

When the DRBC was created in 1961, it was the first time that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development, and regulatory agency. Signed into law by President Kennedy and the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, the Delaware River Basin Compact created a regional body with the force of law to manage a river system without regard to political boundaries. In addition to the four basin state governors, the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ North Atlantic Division is the fifth member of the commission, representing the federal government.

The Performance Audit Report (pdf 1.7 MB) and further information on DRBC programs are available on DRBC’s website at www.drbc.gov. To learn more about the commission, please visit our website or follow DRBC on Twitter at @DRBC1961.

#  #  #  #

Contacts: Kate Schmidt, Kate.Schmidt@drbc.gov, (609) 883-9500 ext. 205
Peter Eschbach, Peter.Eschbach@drbc.gov, (609) 883-9500 ext. 208

#  #  #  #