News Stream: Philadelphia a Leader on Clean Water

An excellent piece in Monday's Inquirer by David S. Beckman, who directs the water program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, highlights Philadelphia's cost-saving green approach to the urban stormwater problem:

"In many parts of the country, this polluted torrent overloads sewage treatment facilities, causing them to overflow and make matters worse. An estimated 10 trillion gallons of dirty runoff ends up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans annually, making storm water one of the nation's greatest sources of water pollution.

Fortunately, cities such as Philadelphia have quietly begun to solve this problem in a way that could transform urban landscapes from coast to coast. In fact, the City of Brotherly Love is at the forefront of a national trend toward embracing urban design strategies, called 'green infrastructure,' that can slash water pollution, provide flood protection, beautify communities, and cut infrastructure and energy costs."

Click here for the full article.