It’s that time of year again: time to vote for 2026 Pennsylvania River of the Year!
Last year, the Delaware River got the honor and a $15,000 grant towards stewardship and recreation programs, provided by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) through the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR).
This year, another hometown candidate is one of three finalists in the running:
- Chillisquaque Creek: Pronounced chill-iss-KWAH-kee, this year’s underdog is the 20-mile tributary of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River that includes a 112-square-mile watershed with numerous natural and cultural points of interest across Montour, Northumberland, Columbia, and Lycoming counties. Its name comes from the Chalahgawtha, a Shawnee tribal division, and means “place frequented by snowbirds” or “frozen duck” in the Native language.
- Conestoga River: One of Lancaster County’s most scenic and popular waterways hosts a range of outdoor recreation. It flows for more than 61 miles, joining the Susquehanna River below the Safe Harbor Dam. And it played a big part in colonial American life, with its name affixed to the ubiquitous wagons used primarily by farmers and merchants in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
- Lower Schuylkill River: The 36-mile stretch from Phoenixville in Chester County to the mouth of the river near the Schuylkill Navy Yard in Philadelphia, serves as a hometown waterway and recreational escape for 6.5 million humans and home to more than 40 species of fish.
How and why to vote
Visit the POWR website to cast your vote. The deadline is Friday, Jan. 16.
“Each of these worthy waterways makes a unique case to be the top river for 2026 and I am excited to see which one wins,” said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “I enjoy this annual competition for the community pride it builds and the focus it provides for the recreational, cultural and economic importance of our rivers. Vote now and make your voice heard.”
The winning river’s nominating organization will again receive a $15,000 DCNR grant to fund yearlong celebrations, including paddling events and community activities. A commemorative poster will also be created to honor the 2026 River of the Year.
While all three waterways offer strong competition for who should represent Pennsylvania’s 80,000 miles of streams and rivers for the next year, we’ve got all you need to know about the candidates and why Lower Schuylkill should take home the prize.
We ❤️ Lower Schuylkill River
Although the Schuylkill River won the title in 1999 and 2014, the Lower Schuylkill has never nabbed the honor, unlike regional branches of the Susquehanna River.
Beyond the 40 species of fish, all creatures, great and small (the new season of that PBS Masterpiece show premieres Jan.11, btw!) deserve access to this vibrant and, with our help, healthy resource!
Coming on the heels of the Delaware River’s win in 2025, the Lower Schuylkill might face an uphill battle to claim the title due to its regional proximity.
Still, the waterway’s history stands out.
It was a major part of Lenni Lenape life in pre-colonial America before serving as farmland and a country retreat for European settlers through the late 1700s. It then became a central force, literally, in the Philadelphia region’s participation in the Industrial Revolution.
The river even served as the first municipal-scale water system with the Fairmount Water Works, Fairmount Dam and Fairmount Park, all of which worked together to protect Philadelphia’s drinking water from industrial and agricultural pollution.
That pollution persisted into the 1900s, at which point residents and city officials sought to “reclaim” the Lower Schuylkill for recreation and improved stewardship – including the volunteer-led Isle of Jean and the most recent expansion of Circuit Trails, an ambitious project that aims to connect more than 800 miles of trails across Pennsylvania and New Jersey by 2040.
As POWR notes, “Over many years, this river has transformed from being polluted and lifeless to becoming a diverse wildlife habitat not only being used by many species of animals, but also as a recreational hot spot for residents of this great city. Today, millions of people run, bike, fish, and paddle both on and along this river each year and more than 1.5 million people rely on this river for drinking water.”
There’s more to do, still. The Lower Schuylkill is not yet fully accessible to residents and pollution is an ongoing challenge. The funds that come with a Pa. River of the Year win could help support those efforts for a large number of people.
As of the time this story was published, the Lower Schuylkill is in a distant second place with 25% of the vote, behind the Conestoga River, which has received 58% of the vote.
