The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), which governs water use for a portion of the Marcellus Shale, has launched an online reporting system for the Water Supply Charges Program (WSCP) to streamline operations. All reports beginning this year must be completed online; reporting and payment deadlines are unchanged.

The WSCP includes about 400 surface water sources that report on an annual or quarterly basis. The online system would provide each user with a secure log-in, which would allow water use data to be electronically submitted. Automatic invoicing would be based on the submitted data.

“The availability of the online reporting system marks the completion of the first step of a multi-phase technology upgrade, which is being undertaken to help DRBC become more efficient and transparent,” said Executive Director Carol R. Collier. “While this system was designed specifically for data submittal by WSCP participants, future phases — budget permitting — include online acceptance of project applications and reports, and the development of a web portal to easily share electronic information with the public.”

Commissioners in May 2011 approved DRBC plans to update the information technology capabilities. URS Corp. was chosen to run the program from a pool of 12 candidates. The reporting system, including instructions, may be found at www.drbc.net.

Surface water charges provide the revenue stream that DRBC uses to repay its debt service, as well as the operations and maintenance costs for water supply storage in two federal multi-purpose reservoirs, Beltzville and Blue Marsh. The charges also pay for administrative and staff costs related to protecting and preserving the basin’s water quantity and quality.