Pipes, mains, lines – these water infrastructure words have been a hot topic in the Philadelphia news the past few weeks. On Sunday, July 22nd, a pipe measuring 4 feet in diameter ruptured at the intersection of 21st and Bainbridge, flooding the street and closing the intersection. Since then, water service has been restored to the neighborhood, the pipe replaced, and construction is underway to repair the intersection. Following this break, another 48 inch main cracked in Northeast Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Water Department tracks and repairs mains all year, but these unfortunate breaks have given people a rare glimpse of the massive infrastructure under our feet (and a chance to grab some great photos). Over 3,000 miles of water main crisscross the ground under Philadelphia streets, and the Water Department has several programs to help prevent pipe failures including leak detection tests and regular inspection of water and sewer lines.  In addition to regular repairs and replacements, PWD is working to upgrade the water supply and waste water removal systems, including a special focus on green infrastructure. Proper investment in critical infrastructure will lead to fewer breaks in the future. Several articles have been published about the recent water main breaks and these two from Philly.com focus on the importance of infrastructure in our City’s history, and in its future:

Karen Heller, Sunday 8/5/12

Editorial, 8/2/12

For more information about the status of repairs for large water main breaks and long term projects, visit our Alerts page: http://archive.phillywatersheds.org/alerts

And for general information about the cause of water main breaks and what the Philadelphia Water Department is doing to repair and replace aging infrastructure, check out our Main Breaks page.

Traditionally, most stormwater management features, like pipes and basins, lie underground and don’t rely much on design beyond the functional. As the city begins the implementation of aboveground and more visible green stormwater infrastructure, landscape architects, engineers and other designers must manage the interests and concerns of a broad range of people whose neighborhoods will feature new green infrastructure. This is the challenge at the heart of the Infill:Soak it Up Exhibition, a competitive exhibition to display innovative and well designed approaches to green stormwater management. The Philadelphia Water Department, the Community Design Collaborative and the Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 are hosting the exhibition as a warm up to a large scale competition to be announced this fall. The goal of the exhibition is to showcase projects that soak up stormwater while creating engaging, healthy, and visually appealing urban places. Selected entries will be on display at AIA Philadelphia’s Center for Architecture from September 17 through October 19, 2012. Check out the CDC’s call for entries for specifics.

The spotlight is shining on Philadelphia at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A recent report from an Egyptian environmental correspondent urges national leaders to seriously address worldwide environmental challenges, listen to local communities, and encourages them to learn from Philadelphia!  

"The US, in a side event at their pavilion, suggested a city-level solution to adapt to climate change in terms of green infrastructure.  The city of Philadelphia is an example of such an initiative, with its drainage design that funnels the first inch from rainfall to green spaces. The initiative increases green spaces on all pavements, rooftops and large vacant areas to retrofit their infrastructure system to adapt to the effects of climate change. Such solutions on a city level are precisely the kinds of solutions we need to learn from."

Water Commissioner Howard Neukrug and Office of Transportation and Utilities Chief of Staff, Andrew Stober, presented at the conference as part of the Joint Initiative on Urban Sustainability between Philadelphia and Rio. For more information about the conference, check out our earlier blog post, “UN Sustainability Conference in Brazil Puts the Spotlight on Philly.”