no ordinary state park

From Easton to Bristol, the Delaware Canal stands as one of our Commonwealth’s truly unique historical and natural treasures. Built by hand in 1831 and 1832, the 60-mile Delaware Canal operated commercially for a century. Since 1931, has since operated as the state’s longest and narrowest state park. In 1978 the federal government designated the Canal a National Historic Landmark.

It takes a lot of resources to maintain a working historic canal with 24 locks stretching through 2 counties and 18 municipalities. The Park Staff bring dedication and talent, and the state allocates a budget for the Delaware Canal that is larger than any of the other 120 State Parks in Pennsylvania.

sections of the canal frequently run dry

Although the park's staff is dedicated and talented, the resources at their disposal is simply inadequate. The result is that sections of the Canal frequently run dry, and new problems pile up while old problems wait to be addressed.

There is no way the state parks budget will ever be enough to provide first class maintenance.

new business model

That is why Delaware Canal 21 has developed a bold new business model for the Canal that will enable the Canal to generate supplemental revenues that will afford top notch maintenance and planning.

inventory of improvement projects - with partners

DC21’s Vision Study has identified dozens of specific opportunities for improvement, essentially forming a roadmap to realizing the full potential of the Canal. These projects target locations throughout the Canal’s 60-mile length, and fall into categories such as Water, Access, Environmental, Safety, and Structures.

Delaware Canal 21 supplements local vision and experience by investigating other historic canals and park systems to discover ideas, financing models, asset management systems, funding sources, technology, and other new best practices that can be utilized at our Canal.