Pipes, mains, lines – these water infrastructure words have been a hot topic in the Philadelphia news the past few weeks. On Sunday, July 22nd, a pipe measuring 4 feet in diameter ruptured at the intersection of 21st and Bainbridge, flooding the street and closing the intersection. Since then, water service has been restored to the neighborhood, the pipe replaced, and construction is underway to repair the intersection. Following this break, another 48 inch main cracked in Northeast Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Water Department tracks and repairs mains all year, but these unfortunate breaks have given people a rare glimpse of the massive infrastructure under our feet (and a chance to grab some great photos). Over 3,000 miles of water main crisscross the ground under Philadelphia streets, and the Water Department has several programs to help prevent pipe failures including leak detection tests and regular inspection of water and sewer lines.  In addition to regular repairs and replacements, PWD is working to upgrade the water supply and waste water removal systems, including a special focus on green infrastructure. Proper investment in critical infrastructure will lead to fewer breaks in the future. Several articles have been published about the recent water main breaks and these two from Philly.com focus on the importance of infrastructure in our City’s history, and in its future:

Karen Heller, Sunday 8/5/12

Editorial, 8/2/12

For more information about the status of repairs for large water main breaks and long term projects, visit our Alerts page: http://archive.phillywatersheds.org/alerts

And for general information about the cause of water main breaks and what the Philadelphia Water Department is doing to repair and replace aging infrastructure, check out our Main Breaks page.

The Philadelphia Water Department recently announced its proposal to seek rate changes, beginning October 1, 2012 to maintain the City’s top-quality drinking water distribution, alleviate flooding, meet regulatory requirements and improve the quality of local rivers and streams. Even with the proposed additional rates, PWD’s water and sewer charges will continue to be among the lowest in the region.

Five public hearings have been scheduled to provide customers with an overview of PWD’s programs and services and an opportunity to comment and ask questions. These are open to all members of the public. The Water Department will give a brief presentation about the rate increase process and will be available to answer questions. Food and refreshments will also be available! Here's the schedule:

When:   Monday, July 9, 2012, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Where: Philadelphia Senior Center
              509 S. Broad Street
              Philadelphia, PA 19147
              *Spanish Language and Sign interpreter will be present
              *meeting will be streaming live at www.phillycam.org/pwdrates

When:    Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Where:   Roxborough Memorial Hospital, Wolcoff Auditorium
                5800 Ridge Avenue
                Philadelphia, PA 19128
     
When:   Thursday, July 12, 2012, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Where:  Holy Family University, Campus Center Conference Room 115  
               9801 Frankford Avenue
               Philadelphia, PA 19114   
     
When:    Monday, July 16, 2012, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Where:   YMCA North Philadelphia  
                1400 N. Broad Street (Broad and Master Sts)
                Philadelphia, PA 19121
                *Spanish language interpreter will be present

When:     Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Where:    White Rock Baptist Church  
                 5240 Chestnut Street
                 Philadelphia, PA 19139

This week, world leaders are gathered at the UN Conference of Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And what are they talking about? Philadelphia, for one—Mayor Nutter's Greenworks initiative and the Green City, Clean Waters plan to manage stormwater through green infrastructure was the hot topic on Tuesday. Next American City's Diana Lind sent a dispatch from Rio earlier this week:

[Office of Transportation and Utilities chief of staff Andrew] Stober and Water Department Commissioner Howard Neukrug are in Rio — paid for by a Brazilian foundation, not Philadelphia tax dollars — to celebrate the next phase of JIUS and an online guide that details policies, projects and financing mechanisms that can improve urban sustainability. Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters program is one of the highlighted projects in this guide. While most of the outcomes of JIUS have yet to be seen, Stober said the main benefit for Philadelphia has been “national and global recognition for a the city, which has done a lot of very good work quietly.”

Read the full report from Next American City here.

We're at the halfway point of Greenworks—the plan that outlines how Philadelphia will become the greenest city in America by 2015—and giant steps have been taken toward sustainability. The Greenworks Philadelphia Update and 2012 Progress Report is now available (click here to download as a PDF) for your inspection. The report details how Philadelphia is conserving energy, reducing emissions, increasing tree coverage, providing access to recreation and healthy food and more. Certainly, Green City, Clean Waters is part of the equation, too—but since we spend about 364 days of the year touting our green stormwater management plan, here are some other highlights:

• A reduction of municipal energy use by 5%
• A more than tripled rate for curbside residential recycling
• Increased access to healthy, affordable food for more than 200,000 Philadelphians
• 428 miles of bike lanes completed

In all, of the 167 initiatives put forth in Greenworks, 38 initiatives are complete, and 110 are currently underway.