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Community Events

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Philly Green Opportunities

Join the Tookany/Tacony Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF) for breakfast and coffee! Next Tuesday, on February 11th, TTF will host an information and networking breakfast. Participants will have the opportunity to network with volunteer coordinators and community leaders and learn about upcoming TTF projects and service opportunities. Additionally, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will discuss the Urban Waters program and Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Philadelphia.

The event will be held at the Globe Dye Works on 4500 Worth Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19124.

Hike Through Cresheim Valley!

Photo Credit: PhillyMap

This weekend, Friends of Wissahickon (FOW) is leading a hike through the Cresheim Valley Gorge. This trail follows the Cresheim Creek,which has carved quite a valley over the millennia in its path to join the Wissahickon. Join this expedition to learn more about one of the stream’s largest tributaries, and to get a chance to see massive rocks, outcrops, historic trees, houses perched high above, interesting ruins and the under carriage of the McCallum Street Bridge.

Registration is free and recommended in case of cancellations due to bad weather. However, walk ins are welcome to participate.

To register and find more information, click here.

Upcoming: Green City, Clean Waters Info. Session

Do you have questions or concerns about Philadelphia Water’s GSI projects? Want to know more about Green City, Clean Waters or learn more about some of our potential projects?

Philadelphia Water Department’s monthly information sessions are a great opportunity to get updates, provide feedback and have your questions answered.
The next information session will be on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 from 6pm to 7pm in the Municipal Services Building located at 1401 John F Kennedy Blvd., 16th Floor, Room C.

Please remember to RSVP to ensure that we have information about what’s going on in your community.

Birding in Tacony Creek Park!

Have you ever been bird watching?! Well now’s your chance to partake in the exciting experience for free! Don’t miss your chance to see a variety of Philadelphia’s birds, including woodpeckers, chickadees and hawks!

There will be two bird watching events that will take place in Tacony Creek Park (I street and Tacony Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19124) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The first event will be this Saturday, December 7, a “warm up” for the annual international bird census conducted by the Audubon Society!

The second event will take place Saturday, January 11 as a part of the Philadelphia mid-winter Bird Census!

Remember to dress warmly!

Binoculars and delicious treats (donuts and hot chocolate) will be provided.

The Land is Ours!

For the last fifteen years, neighbors cleaned and protected the remaining 6 acres of the Anderson and Woodbrook land not yet touched by development in the Wissahickon. After learning that developers were seeking to build a condominium complex of over twenty five 1,200 square foot houses, neighbors campaigned to save the land. With tremendous support from over 150 neighbors, Chestnut Hill Historical Society, Friends of Wissahickon, local elected officials, and City council, WEP set out with a mission to transfer the 6 acres of land from the developers to Fairmount Park.

After an arduous 15 years, WEP finally heard the news they were waiting for (drum roll please) On October 8, 2013, WEP received an e-mail from Mark Focht, First Deputy Comissioner Officer of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation reading “It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I share with you that the City’s acquisition of the Wissahickon East parcel is complete. It is officially ours!”

The next step will be to create a small, environmentally-friendly walk-to-park, which can be accomplished by the help of the City, FOW, professionals and community members who volunteer their time.

Photo Credits: Wissahickon East Project

WEP has planned their first clean up day for December 7, 2013 from 10am to 1pm. Work tools will be provided and no prior experience is necessary. To volunteer your service, e-mail info@wissahickon.org with your name, address, e-mail, phone #, and number of people attending. 

Congratulations to all on the acquisition of the East Wissahickon land!

Find more ways to get involved.

Congratulations to Our 2013 Spokesdog Winners!

On Saturday, October 19th, fifteen Spokesdog finalists from two participating neighborhoods (Fitler Square and University City) came out to compete for one crown. After careful consideration of which dog would make the best Spokesdog, judges announced and crowned the winners!



Josie, the 2013 Spokesdog from Fitler Square


Sophie, the 2013 Spokesdog from University City


Josie, a Beagle from Fitler Square and Sophie, an Australian Shepherd from University City, took home the titles for 2013 Spokesdog!

Each 2013 Spokesdog took home $200 worth of prizes from local businesses and will be featured on a number of brochures, advertisements, websites, etc. In addition, winning Spokesdogs will serve as ambassadors to the City for living the eco-friendly life and will attend at least three community events over the upcoming year.


These two dogs will help educate pet owners and their furry buddies about the importance of picking up dog waste in order to keep our streams and rivers clean.


Congratulations again to the winners and thanks to all the dog owners, judges, and participants in this year’s Spokesdog contest!

View more photos from the 2013 Spokesdog Crowning Ceremonies.

The Legacy of the Spokesdog Continues!

When pet waste is left on the ground, rainwater or melted snow washes it into our storm drains and into the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, harming the health of the water. But the Spokesdog is out to change that! Philly Water’s Best Friend is on a mission to keep our waterways clean by encouraging dog owners to pick up after their pets.

Every year, a new dog is chosen to carry on the legacy of the Spokesdog and continue to improve the health of Philadelphia’s waterways. Come see which dog will win this year! Out of our 15 finalists from Fitler Square and University City, only one dog from each neighborhood will be crowned as a 2013 Spokesdog. The crowning of the Fitler Square dog will take place on Saturday, October 19, at the Schuylkill River Park from 11am to 12pm, followed by the University City dog from 1pm to 2pm. Come out to cheer on your favorite dog and win free treats and giveaways for you and your favorite furry friend!

Learn more about the Philly Spokesdog Competition.

One of the 2012 Philly's Best Friend Spokesdogs, Scooter

Imagining Frankford

This Saturday, the Frankford Community, from Pratt Street down to Kensington Avenue, will celebrate their neighborhood. Community members, in collaboration with the Mural Arts Program and initiated by Council Woman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, have designed and created beautiful murals along a historic and diverse stretch of the Frankford corridor. Originally serving as a trail from Philadelphia to New York, Frankford Avenue has served residents of Philadelphia for decades and will continue to do so into the future. Along-side the restorative murals, the Philadelphia Water Department has implemented an exemplary rain garden in Womrath Park to help divert stormwater and pollutants from the nearby Frankford Creek. In addition to beautiful native plants, the collaborative project has also helped to bring other park improvements  for residents to enjoy the benefits of the rain garden and park.

From 11am to 1pm this Saturday, the 29th, the Frankford community, the Philadelphia Water Department and the Mural Arts Program will showcase and celebrate the neighborhood they have helped to further develop.  The day will include dedication of the murals by Mural Arts Director Jane Golden and muralist Cesar Viveros. The Water Department will host tours of the area as well as provide educational activities for children and families. Please RSVP for the event here

Read more about the Imaging Frankford Project.

Watch community members tell their stories of Frankford

The Story of Water - Through Art

Had you been on the 300 block of Christian Street on Saturday afternoon, you might have asked yourself, “What are these blue dots all over the street? Is this graffiti?” You may have walked along the dots down the street - to the Delaware River -looked out across to New Jersey and thought, “This is beautiful, but why I am here?” If you had looked down below you, you may have noticed an outfall, spewing excess rainwater from the streets. However, this is the very end of our story, a story that starts miles away, only to end right below your very feet.

The Mural Arts Program and the Philadelphia Water Department have joined forces to help Philadelphia residents recognize the importance of the water cycle in Philadelphia and they’re doing it through a language everyone understands – art. With the help of environmental artist and sculptor, Stacy Levy, a simple but effective design was created and Saturday marked the first day of installation. With the help of neighbors and friends from The Courts residential community, we traced, cut, painted and even heated (with an intense propane torch) blue dots to the sidewalk and streets. The dots represent water and the design is intended to demonstrate  how water flows over streets and other impermeable surfaces to the inlets, as well as the journey this water takes from the inlets to the Delaware River. Follow the dots downstream and you’ll find yourself facing the Delaware River. The very place a majority of our stormwater runoff ends up.

So the next time you’re near 3rd and Christian Streets (in front of the beautiful Southwark Garden), search the sidewalk for the blue water dots and remember how the story of your water ends.

Learn more about the story of stormwater here.

To see photos from the installation, visit the Water Department’s Flickr.

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