Kimberly Paynter / WHYY
The crew on the Drillboat Apache brings in lines tied to explosives used to break up rocks at the bottom of the Delaware River near Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. It’s one of the final stages of a controversial project to deepen the river’s shipping channel.
StateImpact Pennsylvania, Newsworks.org, WHYY and NJ Spotlight are collaborating on a series of stories about the Delaware River Watershed.
The watershed stretches from upstate New York through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, emptying out in the Delaware Bay. It supplies water to more than 15 million people, or about 5% of the nation’s population. Its natural lands both protect clean water and provide a habitat of regional and hemispheric importance.
The story of the river includes stories of its people and wildlife that depend on it for survival; the threats to continued sources of clean water; and the river as an economic engine.
The project is funded by The William Penn Foundation. Below are contributions from StateImpact Pennsylvania.
By
Jon Hurdle 
Mariner East construction at three sites that require drilling through porous limestone can shift from horizontal directional drilling to open trench.
The EPA’s new rule reverses 50 years of practice regarding how states protect water supplies from large infrastructure projects.
Phragmites have invaded wetlands and pushed out native plants, but some say the hated reed could help in the battle against climate change.
By
Susan Phillips and Maddy Lauria/Delaware News Journal 
