Each week, we profile a BMP—short for Best Management Practices—to demonstrate how local businesses, organizations and neighbors are helping to keep our streams and rivers clean by managing stormwater on their property.
Located two blocks north of City Hall at 15th and Cherry streets, the Friends Center features one of Philadelphia’s most famous green roofs. In keeping with the Friends’ commitment to “tread lightly on the Earth,” the green roof and stormwater collection/reuse system help to preserve the Schuylkill River watershed by lessening the impact of more than 58 million gallons of runoff per year.
The green roof absorbs 90% of stormwater, and the remaining 10% that does not infiltrate is filtered by the vegetation and soil. In addition, rainwater from the roof is collected in six large tanks in the building’s basement, where it is purified and reused as “grey water” to flush restroom toilets. These efforts have led to a 90% reduction in the Friends Center’s water bill.
Learn more about this stormwater BMP project, find it on a map and view photos at the Temple-Villanova Sustainable Stormwater Initiative project page.