The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) are pleased to announce that just under $5 million has been award in grants to promote stormwater management projects. The Stormwater Management Incentives Program (SMIP) was created by The City of Philadelphia, through PWD and PIDC, to help reduce the volume of stormwater runoff entering the City's sewer system and to simultaneously help beautify communities. The grant helps businesses and nonprofits green large, impervious properties and unburden the city’s sewer system from high volumes of stormwater runoff. Stormwater management tools, such as green roofs, porous paving, rain gardens, stormwater tree trenches,  detention and retention basins reduce a property’s impervious surface, also resulting in lower monthly stormwater charges. Read about all of this year’s recipients and their projects here.

The SMIP grant is an important part of the Green City, Clean Waters plan, which includes an ambitious goal to convert 9,500 impervious acres to “green acres” that capture and manage the first inch of stormwater runoff to achieve beautiful, fishable, clean and healthy rivers and streams. The grant will also allow businesses, non-profit organizations and other non-residential customers to reduce their stormwater rates by providing funding for the design and implementation of these green infrastructure projects.
 
If you are interested in applying for the SMIP grant, please visit the webpage for more information.

Tonight the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership will host their final block party! Free water ice and soft pretzels, as well as nature walks, hands-on activities and educational opportunities will be in abundance! The final party will located at the park gateway on Rorer Street and Roosevelt Boulevard from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Be sure to keep an eye for a PWD educator so you can learn first-hand about stormwater runoff! Check out some photos from this month’s past block parties here.

The Temple-Villanova Sustainable Stormwater Initiative (T-VSSI) is now accepting submittals of stormwater control projects for the 2013 Stormwater BMP (Best Management Practices) Recognition Program award. To be considered for this award, projects must demonstrate at least two of the recognition program’s criteria- water quality improvement, stormwater runoff reduction, erosion reduction, velocity reduction, ecological restoration, use of native species, monitoring, inspection or maintenance protocol. This year’s program will be giving a special emphasis to projects that report lessons learned from observation, monitoring, inspection or maintenance of the stormwater project.

Winners will be notified by email and will be required to prepare a poster display during the PA Stormwater Management Symposium’ poster session. Winners will also receive free admission to the Municipal Workshop or 2013 PA Stormwater Management Symposium to be held at Villanova University on October 16-18, 2013, invitation to attend the awards ceremony, a certificate of award from the Directors of the T-VSSI, and region-wide media attention.

If you are interested in applying, please visit the T-VSSI website and fill out the “BMP Project Submission Form”. Applications must be submitted no later than September 1st, 2013. By applying you area also submitting your project, whether selected or not, to the T-VSSI database, an online database of notable stormwater BMP’s in Southeastern PA. For more information, please contact Lynn A. Mandarano at 267-468-8304.