As part of ongoing efforts to improve our work and better understand the needs of customers, we are conducting the 4th annual Philadelphia Water Department comprehensive customer survey.
Made possible through a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, the 2019 Customer Survey—available in Spanish and English—measures public opinion and allows the department to gauge what people in Philadelphia think about PWD and the services we provide.
By participating in this survey, our customers can provide really valuable input on the wide range of services we provide. And when you let us know how we are doing, we take that seriously and use the info to improve.
- Survey instructions have been included in a flyer sent along with February 2019 water bills.
- The survey takes less than five minutes to complete!
- Any customer over 18 is eligible to take the survey.
- Customers' answers and personal information will be kept completely confidential.
- Participants will automatically enter a raffle to win one of many $100 gift cards.
- The survey is also available in Spanish.
Topics we are evaluating include general perceptions of PWD, drinking water habits, infrastructure awareness and perceptions, communications preferences, water quality, and the bill paying process. The University of Pennsylvania will analyze the data and prepare a report for PWD.
While we have long welcomed and applied feedback from residents, this survey will help us use customer opinions to prioritize and improve services and customer interactions across the board. We have used findings from previous surveys to improve communication with customers.
“As a department, we put a tremendous amount of work into ensuring our customers have around-the-clock access to top-quality water, protecting our waterways and managing water from storms,” says PWD Commissioner Debra McCarty.
“We know that delivering these essential services is incredibly important to the health of our city, and the goal of this survey is to check in with our customers and get a sense of how the work we do is being perceived and what we can do to improve.
In serving Philadelphia's more than 1.5 million residents, PWD is responsible for the operation and maintenance of three drinking water treatment plants, three wastewater treatment plants, more than 6,000 miles of water mains and sewers, 72,000 inlets, 25,000 fire hydrants and various pumping stations throughout the city.
The department also manages stormwater through Green City, Clean Waters green infrastructure investments and converts wastewater into fertilizer and renewable fuels at our Biosolids Recycling Center.