PhillyWatersheds.org

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Watershed History: Roxborough Pumping Station Demolition

Jul 15, 2011

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From the desk of Philadelphia Water Department historical consultant Adam Levine:

Roxborough Pumping Station, 1961

Roxborough Pumping Station, 2010

As of July 7, the old Roxborough Pumping Station was in the process of being demolished. This piece of the city’s water supply history had been out of commission since 1962, and as shown in the color photos (taken by city photographer Richard Goldey in December 2010), it had lately become a graffiti-covered ruin. The black and white photos were taken in 1961, just before the plant was taken out of service. The high roofline once accommodated huge coal-fired steam pumping engines, which were replaced by the much smaller but much more efficient electric pumps shown in the 1961 photo below. Even in its derelict state, the former grandeur of this public building, designed to be both functional as well as beautiful, is still apparent.

Interior of Roxborough Pumping Station, 1961

Interior of Roxborough Pumping Station, 2010

Related: Read our recent post on the Roxborough Water Works.

Required Reading: A Vision For The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed

Jul 14, 2011

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Tacony-Frankford

The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership has just released the final version of its plan for the restoration, revitalization and future health of the watershed. (For more info on the watershed, maps and history, click here.) Titled An Evolution in Watershed Thinking, the document lays out a vision for a more sustainable urban watershed. In accordance with PWD's citywide Green City, Clean Waters plan, the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford initiative seeks to manage stormwater, restore creek health and provide recreational and aesthetic benefits to the community. Detailed maps and renderings highlight current and proposed projects in the Tookany, Tacony and Frankford portions of the watershed.

Download An Evolution in Watershed Thinking (7 MB PDF)

Green Roof For Queen Bees

Jul 14, 2011

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Photo: Sharron Cohen

This Saturday, July 16, some Queen Village bees are getting their own green roof. Join the gardeners and neighbors of the Southwark Queen Village Community Garden from 10 a.m. to noon as they construct a green roof on the Honey House, the small building where the community garden stores beekeeping supplies for three honey-producing hives. The workshop-style event allows participants to help construct the green roof and should serve as a great introduction on how even small structures can accommodate living roofs that absorb water and benefit the environment.

The Southwark Queen Village Community Garden is located at 311 Christian St. A $20 fee for participants goes toward funding for beekeeping supplies. Call 215-320-2980 to reserve a spot—space is limited. Check out the bee blog for info on native bees and view more of Sharron Cohen's Queen Village bee photos. GreenTreks will also be filming the workshop and has some additional information.

We've Been Shad

Jul 12, 2011

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Our post from earlier this month about American shad ascending the Schuylkill above Norristown for the first time in nearly 200 years contained a fish story of a different sort, as we mentioned that George Washington (pictured above, on the banks of some other river besides the Schuylkill) may have fed his troops Schuylkill shad during trying Revolutionary times. According to the University of Virginia's Papers of George Washington project, an article by Joseph Lee Boyle suggests whatever fish the troops were eating had been shipped in from other rivers:

"That shad were not in the Schuylkill by late March 1778 is evidenced by a letter Washington wrote to Francis Hopkinson at Bordentown, New Jersey. The Continental Navy Board had been ordered by Congress to move from there to Baltimore and Hopkinson offered some of the Navy’s stores to the General. Washington was "obliged to you for the trouble you have taken in removing the Stores and more so for the offer of the Rice, Oil and Fish…." The Marine Committee of Congress wrote to the Navy Board on 8 April, that they "approve of the offer you have made the General of Rice, Codfish and Oil for the use of the Army."

Anyone interested in the history of shad should check out John McPhee's book The Founding Fish.

Collect Rain With Style

Jul 11, 2011

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Photo: Southern Liberties, LLC

The Philadelphia Water Department would never utter an unkind word about traditional rain barrels, but the sleek, ultra-modern version (they call it a "rain column") by local company Shift Space Design is making rain collection a whole lot more attractive. The stainless steel, 58-gallon tank isn't cheap (one online retailer has it listed at $1,800), but it sure is nice to look at. It even has its own name: Fitzwater. More detailed photos and specs here. (There's also a 12-gallon version named Wallace.) For the rest of us, a blue or green plastic barrel may just have to do.

The rain column pictured above (in the backyard of Montrose Green, a Philadelphia rowhome/eco-design utopia) is actually part of a collection system; the column on the left is connected to trickle rods that water the planter below.

Read more about rain barrels and check out our Rain Barrel Map to see where Philadelphians are collecting runoff and keeping our streams and rivers clean.

Take A Hike

Jul 8, 2011

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Philadelphia's rivers and streams provide ample opportunity for recreation; events in the coming week suggest it's hiking season in the parks and refuges near the water:

At the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Tinicum, there's a Summer Bird Walk on Saturday, July 9 and a Birding By Ear Walk on Sunday, July 10. Check here for the full summer schedule of events.

The Friends of the Wissahickon are sponsoring a three-mile hike on Wednesday, July 13. The hike is guided by a trail ambassador and begins at the Valley Green Inn: "Experience caves, trek the famous Fingerspan Bridge, cross Devil's Pool, discover The Spring House, Shakespeare's Rock, learn about major improvements to the trails, the history of the Livezey Mill, and other areas of the park and hopefully, spot some local wildlife." Click here to register for free.

The Lower Merion Conservancy has hula hoops and butterflies on Sunday, July 10 and a free Summer Evening Hike on Wednesday, July 13 in Gladwyne: "Hike from the lush creekside trail in Turtle Hollow, past the Henry Foundation, to Riverbend and back through the Philadelphia Country Club. A lovely way to complete the exploration of bridlepaths that connect Rolling Hill Park to Riverbend."

Curb Appeal: Queen Lane Stormwater Bumpouts

Jul 7, 2011

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Philadelphia's first stormwater bumpouts on Queen Lane in East Falls are in bloom. Stormwater bumpouts are just one of the Philadelphia Water Department’s green stormwater infrastructure tools to reduce runoff and prevent combined sewer overflows into our rivers and streams. Runoff from the street is diverted into these landscaped curb extensions, where it infiltrates into the soil instead of entering our storm sewers. Aside from managing stormwater, bumpouts also help to calm traffic, and when located at crosswalks they keep pedestrians safer by reducing the street crossing distance.

Each bumpout is custom designed on a site-by-site basis; the six Queen Lane structures are each 8 feet deep and range in length from 24 feet to 80 feet (the bumpout pictured above measures 8' by 60'). Each bumpout is planted with a mix of native grasses, perennials and trees, and the entire system manages the first inch of runoff from an acre of drainage area. That means these bumpouts manage between 800,000 and 900,000 gallons of runoff each year.

Locate the Queen Lane stormwater bumpouts on a map after the break, and view PWD's in-design bumpouts and other green infrastructure projects on the Big Green Map.

Read more »

Delaware Sailboat Tour Update

Jul 7, 2011

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Photo: Delaware River Waterfront Corporation

Update/correction to the earlier post about the scheduled sailboat tour of the Delaware River: The July 9 tour is full, but a second tour has been added for July 16 and space is still available as of this posting. A $10 donation is recommended to benefit the Friends of Washington Avenue Green, a neighborhood group that tends to the eco-park. Again, email DelRiverEvent@gmail.com for more info.

Moreover, this update is just an excuse to post a photo of the floating wetlands built last summer as part of the Washington Avenue Green project; the wetlands are buoyed by cells of plastic bottles that were found as waste and reused.