Calling on the United States Congress to release the necessary funding required to dredge the Schuylkill River, which is crucial in maintaining Philadelphia's status as the nation's best competitive rowing city.

WHEREAS, The Schuylkill River is one of the country’s premiere destinations for regattas and rowing competitions, including the famous Dad Vail Regatta, which is the largest annual intercollegiate rowing competition in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The Schuylkill River is also host to

dozens of other rowing events throughout the year, and these events help to bring tourism and hospitality dollars to

Philadelphia businesses; and

WHEREAS, Despite the importance of the Schuylkill River to national rowing competitions, the body of water has not been dredged for the past 18 years; and

WHEREAS, Dredging of large bodies of water is necessary, because of silt, which is f

ine sand, clay, or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment

, that builds up on the floor of rivers; and

WHEREAS, The presence of a large amount of silt creates navigation issues on the water by reducing the speed of travel. Additionally, the lack of dredging on the Schuylkill River has reduced the amount of available competitive racing lanes. Although the lanes should be six feet deep for safe travel, at least two of the lanes along Boathouse Row are only two feet deep because of the build-up of silt; and

WHEREAS, If Philadelphia cannot produce even lanes, it could make competitive regattas unfair, affect speeds, and jeopardize the status of Philadelphia’s reputation for the top location to host competitive races; and

WHEREAS, Due to advocacy on behalf of the Army Corps of Engineers Regional Offices, funding necessary to dredge the Philadelphia stretch of the Schuylkill River was added to the federal budget. However, those funds have yet to be released by Congress; and

WHEREAS, In order to maintain Philadelphia’s status as the nation’s best competitive rowing city, it is imperative that we receive the promised federal funding for the dredging of the Schuylkill

;

now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby calls on the United States Congress to release the necessary funding required to dredge the Schuylkill River, which is crucial in maintain Philadelphia’s status as the nation’s best competitive rowing city.

End