How PWD is preparing for more extreme weather: As extreme weather becomes more common, preparing for it becomes more important
September 18, 2026
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PWD Office of Watersheds
Like other cities around the world, Philadelphia is seeing changes in its weather and climate patterns. According to the Philadelphia Water Department’s Climate-Resilient Planning and Design Guidance engineers, a storm that once had a 1-in-100 chance of happening each year (a “100-year storm”) could have a 1-in-7 chance by the end of the century, assuming […]
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A summer of extremes: Understanding Philadelphia's summer storms and changing weather patterns
September 14, 2026
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PWD Office of Watersheds
This summer has given Philadelphians a glimpse of what scientists say the future may hold. In just a few weeks, Philadelphia faced severe storms, flooding, extreme heat, and smoke from Canadian wildfires. Each event was different, but together they show an important trend: extreme weather is becoming more common.
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2021: A Year in Review: We reflect on a year of achievements, advances, and milestones.
December 27, 2021
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Public Affairs
From pollution praises to community poetry — infrastructure investments to mural unveilings, 2021 offered a plethora of opportunities allowing us to better serve, engage, and communicate our water services to Philadelphia residents.
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Germantown Flooding: Community Connections to the Past, Present, & Future: A new task force aims to increase flood preparation resources.
July 28, 2021
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Grace Maiorano
Parts of the Germantown neighborhood are particularly prone to the effects of urban flooding due to geography, circumstances of its past, and potential impacts of the future.
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Earth Day @ 50: 5 Ways We Contribute: Clean water and waterways don’t come without a healthy planet.
April 22, 2020
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Brian Rademaekers
Five ways the Philadelphia Water Department works to further the ideals that embody Earth Day.
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San Juan Explores Philly’s Green Solutions: Our GSI experts met with San Juan’s environmental champions.
February 27, 2020
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Grace Maiorano
Through a learning exchange program hosted by The Nature Conservancy, our Deputy Commissioner of Planning & Environmental Services and Public Engagement Team Manager, recently met with representatives from the San Juan-based Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña.
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Philly Climate Change Efforts Get Boost from Global Summit: Engineer leading our climate efforts represented Phila. in Copenhagen
November 21, 2019
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Public Affairs
Like the other City experts representing Philadelphia in Copenhagen, PWD Engineer Julia Rockwell was there because she and her peers are doing crucial work on climate change.
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Have We Had ‘A Day Without Water’?: As long as we’ve had infrastructure, rivers have provided.
October 31, 2019
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Adam Levine, PWD Historian
We plumbed the past to see if there have been dry days in the Philly’s past.
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Flood Risk Management Task Force: Manayunk Public Meeting
April 28, 2017
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Brian Rademaekers
Members of the Manayunk community and Philadelphia residents are invited to join City officials for a special meeting highlighting ongoing efforts to protect neighborhoods from the impacts of flooding and storms. The talk is being hosted by the City of Philadelphia’s Flood Risk Management Task Force…
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Year in Review (Part Three): Awards and Grants
January 27, 2017
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Brian Rademaekers
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…
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