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Events

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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.

Congratulations to Our Very Own Philadelphia River Rats!

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Five of the Philadelphia Water Department’s wastewater team members headed out on the road to Chicago to show off their skills and commitment to operational excellence this past October!

This year, The Water Environment Federation held its annual Technical Exhibition and Conference in Chicago. As part of the event, an “Operations Challenge” took place where 31 teams from the US and Canada, including our very own “Philadelphia River Rats,” competed for speed and accuracy in operational skills like laboratory analyses, sewer pipe maintenance, process control, pump maintenance and crew member rescue. Each test measured the diverse skills required for the operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities, their collection systems, and laboratories.

Congratulations to our PWD team!

To see photos from the event, check out the slideshow below.

Learn more about the WEF Operations Challenge.

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.

PWD Opens Its First Biogas-to-Energy Facility

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Co-gen Ribbon Cutting

Last Friday, City officials joined the Philadelphia Water Department and Ameresco as Mayor Nutter cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of PWD’s new biogas co-generation facility at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant. This co-generation facility is Philadelphia’s first wastewater biogas-to-energy facility. It uses methane, a byproduct of sewage treatment, to generate about 5.6 megawatts of power for the Northeast Pollution Control Plant, producing approximately 85% of all electrical energy currently used by the facility. It is also expected to reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 tons. Ameresco, Inc. helps support renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America and has partnered with PWD on the co-gen facility.

“This project is an example of PWD’s commitment to develop waste recovery programs at all of our facilities as part of our pledge to be a sustainable and cost-conscious utility,” remarked Water Commissioner Howard Neukrug at the ribbon cutting.  “Recovering the hidden fuel in our wastewater treatment processes helps to diversify our energy portfolio, while improving the environment through innovative, green technology.”

Visit our energy efficiency page for more information about this facility, and PWD’s other sustainable energy programs.

Greenbuild 2013!

Greenbuild, the biggest, greenest, and most sustainable convention made its way to Philadelphia this year. The United States Green Building Council celebrated the 20th year of their weeklong conference and expo at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The Philadelphia Water joined over 900 other exhibitors to talk about our City’s exciting Green City, Clean Waters program.

On Thursday, the 21st, Water Commissioner, Howard Neukrug, gave a presentation with Mami Hara and Marc Cammarata. Participants learned more about Philadelphia’s $2 billion investment in green stormwater infrastructure. The presentation also highlighted the program’s goal to create a more sustainable, healthier and livable city. The lecture ended with a breakout session where participants discussed a variety of challenges faced in implementing green stormwater tools. Working together to develop solutions, participants gained a better understanding of how to overcome those barriers and how green infrastructure could play a role in their cities.

Greenbuild attendees could also register for a PWD led tour. Titled, Civil Engineering: Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Leadership, Water Department staff led visitors through the new biogas cogeneration water treatment facility and the Big Green Block. An area in Kensington, this former brownfield site, is now home to a LEED certified highschool and revitalized green space for recreation.

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Aquaman!

Our Water Commissioner, Howard Neukrug, is featured on the cover of the latest edition of Grid Magazine as one of several superheroes of sustainability in Philadelphia.

Commisioner Neukrug started off in drinking water treatment at the Philadelphia Water Department in 1978 and began PWD’s Office of Watersheds in 1999. As director of the Office of Watersheds, Commissioner Neukrug led the department in creating the vision and the plan for Green City, Clean Waters, Philadelphia’s long term plan to clean up our waterways. Appointed Water Commissioner in 2011 by Mayor Nutter, Howard Neukrug is focused on making PWD a sustainable 21st Century urban water utility – one that fully meets the complex responsibilities and opportunities of our time and our environment.

Check out the full article in Grid to learn more about our Aquaman and our Philadelphia’s other sustainability heroes.

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.

TreePhilly's Tree Giveaway!

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Photo Credits: TreePhilly


Did you receive one of the 850 trees given away by TreePhilly last weekend? If not, there is still time! Join TreePhilly this weekend on November 16th and 17th at the following locations:

Saturday, November 16

11am-1pm

Overington Park

4600 Leiper St, 19124

 

Sunday, November 17

12pm-2pm

West Oak Lane Library

2000 Washington Lane, 19138

 

Walk in participants are welcome, but will not be able to recieve a fruit tree.

Click here to see a list of trees that will be available at these two events!

 

See more pictures from the previous tree giveaways.

Find more information on the best places for a tree and learn how to plant and care for one.

PWD Presents at Villanova's Seventh Annual Stormwater Management Symposium

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PWD recently participated in the 7th annual Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Symposium held October 17-18th at Villanova University. The goal of the symposium is to advance understanding of sustainable stormwater management in all aspects of planning, design, implementation and regulatory compliance. This year’s symposium had over 50 technical podium and poster presentations and tours of green infrastructure projects in the Delaware Valley.

PWD’s Office of Watersheds presented two technical presentations. Rachel Ahern and Shelly Jones (Green Stormwater Infrastructure Planning & Design) presented “Stormwater Management: A Framework for Site Design.” Stephen White (Green Stormwater Infrastructure Maintenance) presented “When it Rains it Stores: PWD's SCM Monitoring.”  The conference abstracts and video presentations are available via the Villanova website.

Sandy Sorlien, an educator from the Fairmount Water Works led a tour, "Reinventing the Neighborhood and Urban LIDs" Beginning at the Big Green Block, a site rich in green stormwater infrastructure, the group explored stormwater tree trenches, rain gardens, a porous pavement parking lot, underground detention infiltration facilities, green roofs and rainwater cisterns. Afterwards they visited Liberty Lands Park, an industrial brownfield, transformed into a vital community green space. This site featured a rain garden, community gardens and 180 trees of varying species. Ending their tour in Columbus Square, particpants viewed Philadelphia’s first stormwater planter.

The second tour offered by PWD, "What’s Happening in the Wissahickon Watershed,” was led led by Erik Haniman and Ken Hinde. The tour started at Saylor Grove, a one acre stormwater wetland designed to treat an estimated 70 million gallons of urban stormwater per year. Their next stop was the 5,400 feet long stream restoration project at Bells Mill, including improved riparian habitat and energy dissipating stone to protect the stream from stormwater runoff discharged by nearby stormwater outfalls. The tour ended with a final stop to the stormwater treatment wetland, Wises Mill. This two acre area of Fairmount Park treats a portion of the stormwater from a 90-acre watershed prior to discharging to the headwaters of Wises Mill’s lower branch. This effort aims to restore and stabilize areas of Wises Mill Run that have been significantly undermined by previous gray stormwater infrastructure and dams on this stream.

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