PhillyWatersheds.org

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Get the Facts on Lead and Water: Invite Philadelphia Water to Your Next Community Meeting

Apr 13, 2016

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Philadelphia's water is lead free, but we cannot control the plumbing in every home. We want customers to have the facts on lead plumbing so that they are empowered to remove lead pipes and can take daily steps to reduce exposure risks. Credit: Philadelphia Water

The danger of lead in drinking water continues to be a hot topic in the news, and we know many people have seen or heard recent features addressing the issue. Because we know that even small amounts of lead may be harmful to infants, young children and pregnant women, we understand why people are concerned.

Although the drinking water provided by Philadelphia Water is lead free—our treatment facilities and water mains do not contain lead materials—homes built prior to 1950 may have water distribution pipes/service lines (the small pipe that connects a home’s internal plumbing to the water main) made of lead. Copper pipes inside homes may also be joined by lead-containing solders, and some homes may have brass pipes, faucets, fittings and valves that contain lead.

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Meeting Alert: Find Out How Removing the Woodland Dam Will Boost Wildlife in the Cobbs

Apr 12, 2016

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The Woodland Dam is currently preventing many species of fish from reaching the upper parts of Cobbs Creek. Philadelphia Water and the Army Corps are planning to remove it. Credit: Philadelphia Water.

Residents are invited to join staff from Philadelphia Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Cobbs Creek Environmental Education Center tomorrow at 6 p.m. to learn about an exciting new project that will open up miles of the Cobbs to fish like the blueback herring, a historically important migratory species whose habitat has been limited by dams across the region.

The focus of the meeting will be the partial removal of the Woodland Dam, the first dam to block fish travelling up Darby-Cobbs Creek from the Delaware River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District and Philadelphia Water will have representatives on hand to answer any questions about the plan. (For those who cannot make it, the public is invited to comment on the proposal by May 9, 2016.)

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Call for Artists to Shine Light on Green Stormwater Infrastructure!

Apr 8, 2016

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Request for Qualifications Deadline: April 15
We’re looking for art that can help people understand how Green City, Clean Waters tools work and how they connect to a complex world of infrastructure beneath our feet.

Philadelphia Water is collaborating with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program for Uncover the Green 2016, a new citywide design initiative celebrating the innovative tools and systems that make up Green City, Clean Waters, Philadelphia’s revolutionary green stormwater management program.

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GSI Excellence Awards Showcase Philly as the 'Silicon Valley of Green Infrastructure'

Apr 5, 2016

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Chris Crockett runs through what #Philly has done with #GreenInfra in 5 years @ #GSIAwards @sbnphila @GSIPartners pic.twitter.com/UNA7PPOOEo

— Philadelphia Water (@PhillyH2O) March 31, 2016

Philadelphia’s healthy (and growing) green stormwater infrastructure economy was evident at the inaugural GSI Excellence Awards, hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Sustainable Business Network (SBN) at the WHYY studios on March 31.

Nearly 200 people involved in creating and maintaining the kind of green systems that make Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters program work came out to celebrate some of the best regional projects in green stormwater management. From top officials at Philadelphia Water to the owners of small private GSI maintenance firms, the crowd was an impressive and representative mix of the people making Philadelphia a national leader in green solutions.

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Meet Your Watershed Spirit Animal for Philly Spring Cleanup 2016

Mar 24, 2016

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Philly Spring Cleanup

Volunteers place new storm drain markers featuring American Shad a sewer inlets along York Street in Fishtown. Credit: Inspire Energy.

Do you know your watershed’s spirit animal? Do you know your watershed, period?

This year’s April 9 Philly Spring Cleanup is your chance to answer both of those questions while doing some good for your community.

As we’ve noted before, we at Philadelphia Water are big fans of
neighborhood and park cleanups. In addition to making our city more beautiful, these events can really help to keep wildlife-harming litter out of our sewers, rivers and creeks.

This year, we’re encouraging communities and civic organizations to add a fun activity to Philly Spring Cleanup—marking storm drains with our new kits, which feature decals with aquatic critters specific to the watershed where you live.

We’ll be making kits available for pickup at the Fairmount Water Works on March 31 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for any group that wants them. Just email Philadelphia Water’s Chris Anderson or Michelle Hoover of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary to reserve supplies. These new kits replace the old “Yo! Fish” markers currently seen near many of the city’s 75,000 storm drains.

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Philadelphia Water Announces Unprecedented Efforts to Help Customers with Lead Pipes

Mar 21, 2016

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Philadelphia Water works hard to make sure the water we deliver tops all safety standards. Now, we're expanding our efforts to educate customers about lead plumbing and helping customers replace their lead pipes. Credit: Philadelphia Water.

Today, Philadelphia Water let City Council know about robust new efforts to educate customers about plumbing made from lead and announced new, unprecedented efforts that will help our customers get rid of their lead pipes once and for all.

Philadelphia Water Commissioner Debra A. McCarty answered questions and provided detailed information about our history of providing safe water, how we test for lead at customer’s taps, and new efforts to take lead pipes out of homes that will make Philadelphia a national leader on this issue.

We let Councilmembers know about six big things we’re doing right now to take on lead plumbing in Philadelphia:

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Have a Sec? Help Make Our Freshwater Mussel Hatchery More Awesome!

Mar 16, 2016

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Photo: Spencer Roberts of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is shown holding an eastern elliptio mussel. Credit: PDE

Last summer, we broke the news about an exciting project that’s coming to our historic Fairmount Water Works museum and learning center this fall: an educational freshwater mussel hatchery that will shine new light on these secret river heroes.

As the project continues to develop, the Water Works and the artists helping to shape the space are hoping you can help by taking this short survey to tell us what you know (or don’t know) about freshwater mussels.

Will you take a few minutes to tell them what you know about freshwater mussels with this quick online survey? (Think of it as a fun quiz followed by some surprising facts about these amazing creatures!)

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Lawncrest Residents Get Update on One of Philly’s Biggest Green Projects Yet

Mar 15, 2016

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The map above shows the current plans proposed for the Lawncrest area (click for larger image). Click here to see a detail of the green tools proposed for the Lawncrest Recreation Center. Credit: Philadelphia Water.

Nearly 100 Northeast residents came out to a community meeting last week to get updates on what will likely be one of the biggest combined Green City, Clean Waters projects planned since the program began in 2011.

Held with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Lawncrest Recreation Center Advisory Council and the Tookany-Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, the March 7 meeting was organized by Philadelphia Water and focused on green stormwater improvements being designed for Lawncrest Rec and the surrounding area.

With over 80 green stormwater tools spread across the rec center and local streets, the proposed improvements will provide new landscaping and green space while vastly enhancing the area’s ability to manage the rain that falls on local roofs, streets and other hard surfaces during storms.

While this complex series of projects is still taking shape, the current designs would allow those green tools to manage about 978,000 gallons of water every time we get an inch of precipitation. In Philly, that kind of storm happens about 65 times per year—meaning the Lawncrest Green City, Clean Waters projects could keep as much as 63.5 million gallons of stormwater out of our sewers and streams annually when completed.

That’s like attaching 50-gallon rain barrels to the downspouts of 1.3 million homes. (!!!)

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