It’s #MyWater – I Protect It

We have a gravity feed water system, which is pumped from the well with solar power. I use my water very efficiently and am very grateful for every drop.”

– Amy Gillingham, Wild Roots Farm

The water is inspiring. Especially because of its reflective qualities. That’s what I like most about the Delaware: the way it reflects the landscape around it. Swimming in the water feels like diving into a mirror. 

– Amy Yoes

The reason we will never sell our house is because there are moments on the river, swimming or kayaking, when you’re alone. Its just green trees, blue skies, and a little white cloud. Nowhere in our lives do we have that experience of isolation and community with nature.

– Bennett Windheim

We’re on a well, and we use well water to make our bread. And the important thing about that is that there’s no chlorination and there’s no fluorination. If there was chlorine it would seriously affect the bread. Therefore it’s a huge advantage to me to have well water.

– Brian Woods, Beach Lake Bakery

When its not raining enough, I use the Watershed to irrigate and water my crops. I pump water from the brook or the river, its all part of the same system.

– C.G. Fitzgerald

“Water is such a magical substance.” Carmel is pictured in the rain garden at her job.  During a storm a rain garden fills with water that slowly gets absorbed into the ground rather than running into storm sewers and drains. Rain gardens reduce fertilizers, road sediments/salts, litter and such from getting into the waterways.

– Carmel Mackay-Dalkeith & Iris Gillingham

We (the creamery) use a solar well to feed the cows, and the cleaner the water, the higher quality cheese product for us. The water is also an important ingredient in our cheesemaking so we obviously want a clean water source which is why the water is so important to us.

– Emily Montgomery, Calkins Creamery

Clean water for both irrigation and also washing and processing of vegetables is absolutely key. That’s why we pull water from the creek that borders the farm and why we irrigate using ground wells.

– Greg Swartz, Willow Wisp Farm

Greg Van Gorder says that he loves water, even when it’s frozen. “You know what PopPop? I wish we could come here every day.” 

– Greg & Scott Van Gorder at Skinners Falls

The water here is so important, every aspect of this area relates to it. To have a clean source of water like the water here is key to everything. We are building a pond on our property to further make use of the wonderful resource that is the Delaware River watershed.

– J. Morgan Puett

The Delaware River is the fixed point of my compass. Wherever I am, an internal needle constantly registers my location against that of the river. Proximity to the Delaware determines the state of my spiritual alignment. I grew up on the river, and I live here for the most essential of reasons: It’s home.

– Joe Freda

The quality of the water here is enormously pure, and the reason that we know that is because the water here can support all kinds of fish life. My wife and I ourselves raised the Amazonian Discus fish, a fish that only can survive in extremely pure water.

– Judah Catalan

We come down to the river to cool off after a hot day. The water is clean and refreshing and there is no better place to be.

– Karen Brauser

I like to play in the mud so I work in pottery. I don’t use running water in my pottery work, I fill up a basin with water for rinsing, clean up, and the hands-on work at the wheel.

– Kyoshiin Lohr

Whether I’m floating down the river with the stripers or hiking high above it with the bald eagles, clean water and natural resources are a vital part of keeping me happy and healthy.

– Nicole Slevin