What has 18 legs, eradicates garbage and debris, spreads good will wherever it goes and spends 900 hours fighting to protect our rivers?

The PWD PowerCorpsPHLTeam!

Philadelphia Water is proud to be a service partner for PowerCorpsPHL. PowerCorpsPHL is an AmeriCorps program for Philadelphians ages 18 to 26 designed to address the City of Philadelphia’s environmental stewardship, workforce development and violence prevention priorities. PowerCorpsPHL members spend 6 months in full time-time service, followed by 3 months of job placement support. Corps members work with either Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, or with the Philadelphia Water Department.

The PowerCorpsPHL program has been hugely successful since the program launched in 2013. Not only are PWD PowerCorpsPHL members making a significant impact on the water quality in our region, they are also gaining invaluable job skills, launching many of them into successful careers in the green job sector. Members that work within PWD are paired with supervisors to learn electrical and HVAC trades, building maintenance, inlet cleaning, and Green Stormwater Infrastructure maintenance. 

PWD staff and PowerCorpsPHL members 

The program is a win-win for both the participants and the service partners. Out of the 43 PowerCorpsPHL members that have served with PWD during the three cycles so far:

  • Seven joined Philadelphia Water's Apprenticeship Program to further their skills and advance their professional network.
  • Seven signed up for another 6-month term of service with PWD through PowerCorpsPHL
  • At least eight have found employment, some with PWD, some with related businesses
  • Many others are returning to school to advance their education with the goal of pursuing careers in the water industry. 

The largest set of PowerCorpsPHL members working with PWD are in our Green Infrastructure Maintenance team. They help ensure that green stormwater infrastructure, like rain gardens, tree trenches and vegetated bump-outs, are functioning properly. The current team has:

  • Been a part of 1,108 maintenance events
  • Maintained 388 stormwater managemetn sites–some multiple times!
  • Collected 80,357 lbs of garbage and other debris out of our stormwater systems

 Learn more and find out how you can get involved powercorpsphl.org.