Delaware River basin proposal would make New Jersey water suppliers report their largest customers' use
A Delaware River Basin Commission proposal, not yet in force, would require public water suppliers in four states to report monthly use by customers taking 50,000 gallons a day or more.
On October 6, 2026, the Delaware River Basin Commission ("DRBC" or the "Commission") published a proposal, Basin Regulations; Water Code, 91 Fed. Reg. 63511, to amend its Water Code at 18 C.F.R. part 410 and section 2.50, and its Comprehensive Plan, to require public water suppliers to report the water use of their largest customers. The proposal is not in force. A virtual public hearing is scheduled for November 4, 2026, and written comments are due by 5:00 p.m. on December 4, 2026. The Commission's members are, ex officio, the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, so the rule would apply to suppliers throughout the basin portions of the three states covered here. For developers of data centers, manufacturing plants and other large users that buy water from a utility rather than withdraw it themselves, the proposal would, for the first time, put their monthly consumption in front of the basin regulator.
91 Fed. Reg. 63511 (Oct. 6, 2026); 18 C.F.R. part 410; Water Code section 2.50