The Water Department’s Commissioner, Howard Neukrug, was a keynote speaker last Tuesday, April 16th, at the Water for Jobs Summit in Washington, D.C. The two-hour event streamed live as Commissioner Neukrug spoke of the workforce challenges facing the water industry with retirement of the baby boomers and an incoming of the new millenials. The summit featured dialogue from leaders in local and state governments, as well as the private sector. They shared their perspectives on the economic need for resilient water infrastructure systems to meet the challenges of today and the future. The summit identified green stormwater infrastructure as a top national priority, as well as the importance of reinvesting  in water to create jobs, drive innovation, and safeguard public health. 

This rendering shows what private investment might do to help manage stormwater. Image: WRT.

Earlier this month, NatLab published Creating Clean Water Cash Flows, an in-depth report chock full of ideas for financing green infrastructure that features the Philadelphia Water Department.  As more and more cities invest in green stormwater infrastructure, financing these investments is fast becoming a hot topic. In a previous blog post, we discussed a spike in interest in private funding for new green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) tools. Now the 87 page report provides an in-depth analysis of ways to engage the private sector in green infrastructure investments.

The NatLab consortium including the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy and the investment firm EKO Asset Management Partners, collaborated with the Philadelphia Water Department on the report given the city’s status as a national leader in implementing green stormwater infrastructure. Although the recommendations focus on Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters plan, the information will be useful for cities across the country.

Engaging the private sector is critical for the successful implementation of Green City, Clean Waters. According to our Water Commissioner, Howard Neukrug, “Leveraging public-private partnerships can help transform and green our City water systems in a brilliantly cost-effective way.” Read the NatLab report to learn more about the innovative ideas Philadelphia is piloting to finance these investments.

NextCity also covered the report here.

A big shout-out to the Schuylkill Action Network (SAN) for receiving the 2013 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence! This award is granted each year to a Pennsylvania organization that displays outstanding achievements in environmental protection throughout the Commonwealth. The highest environmental statewide honor given to businesses and organizations, this award commends such activities as energy conservation, waste reduction and pollution management.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) will accept the award on behalf of the Schuylkill Action network for their accomplishments in the protection of the City of Philadelphia’s source water. The Philadelphia Water Department's Source Water Protection Program takes a watershed-wide approach to protecting the quality of the City’s drinking water sources. The SAN is a particularly important partner in this approach to source water protection. PWD, along with the US Environmental Protection Agency Region III, PDE, and PA DEP founded the SAN in 2003 after PWD completed the Schuylkill Watershed’s Source Water Assessments. Through partnerships with a variety of other environmental organizations, businesses and federal and state agencies, the Schuylkill Action Network is dedicated to the short-term and long-term well-being of Pennsylvania’s natural resources, as well as educating the public about the importance of a healthy water system.

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council will be hosting a ceremonial dinner to honor all the award recipients on April 17 at the Hilton Harrisburg, with Richard Allan, Secretary of the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources serving as keynote speaker.