{"id":143,"date":"2011-06-17T10:34:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-17T14:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/whats-estuary-worth\/"},"modified":"2023-01-13T12:40:08","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T17:40:08","slug":"whats-estuary-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/whats-estuary-worth\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s An Estuary Worth? About $10 Billion\/Yr"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Map of 2011 priority projects for the Delaware Estuary (Image: Partnership for the Delaware Estuary)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A recent study<\/a> by the University of Delaware puts a price tag on the economic value of the Delaware Estuary\u2014the tidal portion of the Delaware River Basin\u2014and the number is big. An estimated $10 billion flows annually from the economic activity and water-related jobs the estuary provides for a half-million people in the tri-state area. The results of the study were announced earlier this month by the nonprofit Partnership for the Delaware Estuary<\/a>, and the implications are far-reaching in terms of project planning, policy decisions and future investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot put a price tag on the value of the Delaware River and Bay to peoples\u2019 lives\u2014it\u2019s much more than an economic resource. However, we live in a time when major decisions about activities like drilling, dredging and development are made based in part on economics,\u201d said Jennifer Adkins, executive director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. \u201cThis study will help people to consider the economic contributions of our estuary in those types of decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PDE has identified six priority projects (PDF<\/a>) for the Delaware Estuary in 2011, which encompass the following:<\/p>\n