All posts tagged: Green City, Clean Waters

We want every resident to take part in protecting our rivers and creeks, and Saturday, June 23, will mark a big first in our efforts to bring the Rain Check program to more people: a workshop with sign language services will take place at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Town Hall in Center City.

Historic Germantown earns the 2018 Stormwater Pioneers award for their new rain garden, redesigned courtyard space, and commitment to the community and health of our waterways.

As we have in past years, Philadelphia Water Department staff are joining fellow park advocates for the spring edition of Love Your Park Week events across the city. Spanning May 12-20, Love Your Park is a biannual event that cleans, greens, and celebrates Philly’s parks

Customers, City Council, Mayor Kenney, and the Water Rate Board were recently informed that we need to raise rates. Increased rates will ensure we have the resources we need to better maintain one of the oldest water systems in the country. As a part of the process—and to promote transparency—we are holding seven Public Input Hearings across the city.

As part of ongoing efforts to involve residents in designing these planned green improvements, we are currently working with neighbors and others who use Bringhurst Park to revamp the space and add stormwater management features. A meeting to discuss the project and collect feedback about possible improvements will be held at the park on Wednesday, April 4 at 5:30 p.m.

by Sam Boden, current VISTA | I jumped into my AmeriCorps VISTA service year with no idea what to expect. Even though I was provided with a project description and ample training from the city and CNCS (Corporation for National and Community Service), I wondered how I would make an impact while working for a municipal water utility.

Over here at the Philadelphia Water Department, there’s no shortage of people who proudly wear the “water geek” badge, and we’ve also got more than a few proponents of all things green and growing. So, you can imagine our delight after learning that the theme of the 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show would be Wonders of Water.

We recently issued an official "Request for Information," or RFI, supporting the City's efforts to grow the footprint of green stormwater infrastructure on private and non-City property. To help answer any questions and provide more details about why we issued this RFI, we're hosting an information session on January 10, 2018.

Bethesda Presbyterian Church sits on a large plot of land in Northeast Philadelphia’s Bustleton neighborhood. The church’s monthly stormwater fees—higher than they would like—reflected the property's large proportion of impervious surfaces, which put a considerable burden on the local sewers during storms.

Rain Check—our program best known for providing City residents with free rain barrels—is entering its sixth year with a new website designed to encourage more home landscaping projects that protect local waterways. By visiting the new Rain Check site, residents can now get a jumpstart on sustainable projects in the new year by discovering the best green upgrade for their property...

As we've seen over the last six years, to really transform Philadelphia's landscape on a scale that's big enough to have a real impact on our rivers, it takes more than just Water Department crews and contractors building rain gardens. In fact, it takes a whole city working together, not to mention supportive partners...

You're invited to celebrate 1,000 Greened Acres. Can you soak that in? Philly has created one thousand Greened Acres. Yes, it's impressive … but you want to know the best part? YOU did it: One rain garden, one Rain Check workshop and one Soak It Up Adoption cleanup at a time...

The Philadelphia Water Department is hosting an open house event for residents and community groups interested in learning about dozens of green stormwater projects planned for construction in the Germantown neighborhood in the coming years. A part of the City's 25-year Green City, Clean Waters program, the projects are currently in the planning and design stage...

Do you want to know about upcoming green improvements coming to Germantown to help the neighborhood soak up excess stormwater that comes with rainstorms? Stop by this Philadelphia Water Department open house event between 6-8:30 p.m. to learn about a number of green projects planned for your neighborhood.

Starting in 2015, the Philadelphia Water Department's Public Engagement team began recording conversations with members of the Cobbs Creek community. The goal? To better understand how people feel about Cobbs Creek—one of Philadelphia's seven major watersheds—and what they want to see for the neighborhood, the park, and the stream. You can get a sneak peek...

When leadership at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia decided to create a brand-new, centralized facility for pediatric care, their primary concern was easing the stress young patients and their families often face while undergoing treatment. Today, that vision is recognized at the 12-story Buerger Center, a colorful University City building that opened in 2015...

Our Rain Check photo contest has been a big hit: over 100 residents submitted photos of their green stormwater tools! To narrow it down, the Rain Check team picked the top 25—not an easy task, given the diverse mix of very cool projects represented in the entries. All who sent in a photo deserve a big thank you...

Following a successful June 10 community cleanup with Point Breeze neighbors that targeted a vacant lot at Point Breeze Avenue and Mifflin Street, we're heading back to the space this Thursday for a special event with Philly's Public Workshop. Residents are invited to join this collaborative “community build”...

From the very beginning, the Fairmount Park system has been an important tool for protecting Philadelphia's rivers and streams, and to read the history of our park system is to read a story of city planners striving to create natural buffers to protect rivers and streams from industry and development..

In a city as old as Philadelphia, there's a chance you'll come across something historic pretty much any time you put a shovel into the ground. That was the case on Wednesday, May 3 as workers replaced a water line along the 900 block of Spruce Street. During their excavation, they came across what looked like old logs...

A Water Town Hall will be held for residents of City Council's Fourth District on Thursday, May 11th from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sharon Baptist Church, located at 3955 Conshohocken Ave. This public forum is the second in a series of Water Town Halls for Philadelphia City Council Districts and will feature Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. and Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Debra McCarty.

The Philadelphia Water Department joined partners in kicking off major improvements coming to Fairmount Park's Centennial District during a ground breaking ceremony on Thursday, April 20...

The members of the Friends of Upper Roxborough Reservoir Preserve seen here held a cleanup and planted wildflower meadow seed mix at a green stormwater swale located along Summit Avenue in Roxborough. The group maintains the site with support from a mini-grant provided through our Soak It Up Adoption program...

When you turn on the tap for a fresh glass of Philadelphia water, do you think about all the scientists and engineers who make this daily convenience possible? If your answer is "no," you're not alone. But the fact is, science and engineering are a big part of the work we do at the Philadelphia Water Department every day...

Are you interested in helping communities learn more about protecting local watersheds through projects that make neighborhoods greener, more vibrant places to live, learn, work and play? You could be our new Outreach Ambassador!

On Tuesday, February 21, the Philadelphia Water Department joined a broad group of partners, including Fishtown residents, parents, teachers and students from the Adaire School community, City departments, the School District of Philadelphia, the William Penn Foundation and the nonprofit Trust for Public Land to break ground on Philadelphia's latest green schoolyard project.

At the Philadelphia Water Department, we're always looking for ways to team up with sister departments like Parks and Recreation, Streets, the Dept. of Public Property and non-profits to build new Green City, Clean Waters tools that manage stormwater on public property...

Philly students: Do you care about protecting our drinking water and aquatic wildlife? Have artistic talent? Want to win prizes for yourself, your teachers and your school? The 2017 Green City, Clean Waters Art Contest is now underway, and the deadline for submissions has just been extended!

In the third and final part of our 2016 highlights series, we look at awards received by the Philadelphia Water Department and its employees as well some grants distributed last year...

Newly-elected Mayor Jim Kenney rang in 2016 in a big way by naming Debra A. McCarty Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner, making her the first woman to lead the organization in its nearly 200-year history. That big announcement, it seems, set the tone for PWD in 2016...

The Philadelphia Water Department is thrilled to receive the 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania's Excellence in Public Infrastructure Award in recognition of the success of the Green City, Clean Waters program. Commissioner Debra A. McCarty will accept the honor at the 2016 Commonwealth Awards...

What projects and people are making an impact on green stormwater infrastructure in our region? Last year saw the first-ever Excellence in GSI Awards, an effort by the Sustainable Business Network's Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Partners to answer that question and highlight the best in local green stormwater projects and the people making them happen...