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NARROWSBURG – The Upper Delaware Council, Inc. (UDC) announces that its “Design Handbook for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River” has been graphically updated and is now available on-line.

First produced in 1990, the Design Handbook provides guidance to undertake construction of building and development projects along the Upper Delaware River in ways that ensure harmony with the existing river landscape.

It summarizes technical aspects of the Land and Water Use Guidelines which were developed to help implement the federal legislation that created the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in New York and Pennsylvania. The Guidelines are published in their entirety in the River Management Plan adopted in 1986.

The UDC – which is the non-profit organization comprised of the two states and 13 municipalities that border the Upper Delaware River and the Delaware River Basin Commission as a non-voting member – works in partnership with the National Park Service to cooperatively manage the designated river corridor for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.

he Council contracted with W Design of Barryville, NY on Aug. 7 to produce a more dynamic, user-friendly, color version of the Design Handbook by Sept. 30.

It features a contemporary typography layout, new photos and colorized illustrations, and updated information where needed, while preserving the text that explains the six land use principles taken from the Land and Water Use Guidelines.

The Design Handbook’s contents include an Introduction; Background; River Setting; Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Map; Design Concepts; River Classification Land Uses; Principle A: Maintain High Water Quality; Principle B: Protect Public Welfare; Principle C: Provide for Public Uses; Principle D: Continue Agriculture and Forestry Uses; Principle E: Conserve River Resources;
Principle F: Maintain Land Use and Ownership Patterns; a Glossary; and Sources of Assistance.
The resulting 36-page document is currently available as a downloadable file on the Council’s website at www.upperdelawarecouncil.org, pending the exploration of grant funding to enable the printing of hard copies.

For more information, please contact Resource Specialist Travis O’Dell at the UDC office, 211 Bridge
St., P.O. Box 192, Narrowsburg, NY 12764; phone (845) 252-3022; or e-mail udctravis@frontier.com.