Even without the deluge caused by Hurricane Ida’s recent stomp across Bucks County, the Delaware River’s water levels have been rising. Keeping watch is the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN), a Bristol nonprofit environmental advocacy group. Daelin Brown waded through its ongoing advocacy efforts for Inside Climate News.

Owing to a variety of factors — some manmade, some not — Pennsylvania’s annual rainfall amounts have been climbing for decades. The state Department of Environmental Protection cites a 10 percent increase since 1910. By 2050, less than 30 years away, that rate is expected to be an alarming eight percent higher over a much shorter timeframe.

Much of that rainfall sluices into the Delaware.

The DRN, a nonprofit established in 1988, engages in a multifront effort to keep the river’s water levels steady, manageable, and clean. The organization routinely protests against perceived threats from industry, government (local, state, and federal), and even housing developers.

The DRN’s concerns go beyond the amount of water that flows over the 300 miles of the Delaware River. It also speaks out for its cleanliness. The group has tackled pipelines, fracking, and fossil-fuel infrastructure projects in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The historic precipitation from Hurricane Ida may be the latest piece of evidence that action is needed.

But if the Delaware Riverkeeper Network is correct, it won’t be the last.

More on the advocacy efforts surrounding a crucial Bucks County natural asset is at Inside Climate News.