A rolling collection of stories, tips, and news powered by the people of the Philadelphia Water Department.
Adding our storm drain markers—each with a unique type of aquatic wildlife depending on your watershed—to your block can start a conversation with neighbors about how communities can protect local waterways. Many people don’t realize that what goes down storm drains can harm local animals like otters, turtles, herons, endangered fish and more…
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Beneath your feet, there’s an invisible universe of infrastructure. This world is hidden from view, but painted lines on the surface reveal exactly what’s there—if you know what to look for…
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As part of ongoing efforts to improve our work and better understand the needs of customers, the Philadelphia Water Department is conducting a comprehensive survey intended collect feedback on a wide range of services. The 2017 Customer Feedback Survey, made possible through a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, measures public opinion…
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If you follow local news at all, you’ve probably seen some of the dramatic footage showing major water main breaks that have left the stores of Bakers Centre in East Falls flooded three times in just three years. Breaks like those at Bakers Centre are unusual for a few reasons, not least of which is amount of water that spilled…
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May 15-19 is Infrastructure Week 2017, and the Philadelphia Water Department is joining fellow utilities, cities, organizations and businesses around the country to highlight the importance of investing in infrastructure. Infrastructure is what makes our communities work. It’s the investments we make together to make life better…
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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..
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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…
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Having passion for a cause doesn’t always pay off. But this summer, it can. If you have a love of the outdoors and an interest in becoming involved in your community, you can be one of the Philadelphia Water Department’s first Watershed Stewards…
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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.
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Philadelphia Water Department historian Adam Levine and PWD staff members are hosting a walking tour of the long-ago retired Upper Roxborough Reservoir—a place whose past illuminates both the roots of its Northwest Philly neighborhood and the evolution of Philadelphia’s modern-day water infrastructure…
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