PWD Women’s History Month Spotlight: Hiral Amin

For Women’s History Month, we are introducing you to some phenomenal women working at the Philadelphia Water Department, making a difference every day and doing extraordinary things in their careers.

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How did you get started in the water industry?

My career at Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) began after graduating from Drexel University in 2012. I started with Planning and Research in wastewater research group. I had interest in process control and that led me to work at QLWTP. I have been working with PWD for 14 years and 10 years at QLWTP.

How does your role contribute to ensuring safe and reliable drinking water for the City of Philadelphia?

Working as a treatment plant assistant manager, the process control lab falls under me. We monitor the water quality as it enters the plant from the river and is stored in the finished water storage. The day-to-day chemical dosage adjustments are done from real time monitoring at our laboratory, ensuring all water quality parameters are within regulatory limits, such as those set by the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

What excites you about your work?

Queen Lane is undergoing many capital projects even before the Water Revitalization Plan (WRP) such as advancing the air scour system to improve backwash that will reduce energy usage. It’s exciting to contribute to upgrades that increase efficiency, strengthen reliability, and position the plant for the future. Being involved in this period of transformation makes the work deeply rewarding.

What is one memorable moment of your career?

There have been many moments that helped me grow and taught me valuable lessons for my career. One of them is getting a call at 3 AM on a Sunday morning to report to the plant due to a power blip causing one of the important chemicals to not be fed for 20 minutes. That led to a plant shutdown. Restoring the plant back in service requires intense sampling and dosage changes. It takes a minimum of 3-4 hours to put the plant in service after a short shutdown.

Can you speak about the value of the Water Revitalization Plan (WRP)?

The WRP is a plan designed to upgrade critical facilities, including the complete rebuild of the QLWTP. A key project is the “Schuylkill River Crossing” tentatively starting in 2026, which will connect the Queen Lane and Belmont plants. This allows the city to draw water safely from either river, ensuring supply continuity even during emergencies. The plan ensures high-quality water for future generations, reduces the need for emergency repairs, and supports the local economy with jobs.

One of the themes of this year’s World Water Day is “Where water flows, equality grows.” What does that mean to you?

It means that every resident in every neighborhood—regardless of income or location—deserves the same high-quality, safe, and reliable drinking water. It reinforces that our infrastructure projects, like pipe replacements, are designed to improve service for all Philadelphians, ensuring that improvements are not limited to certain areas.