{"id":92,"date":"2019-03-14T21:05:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T01:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/commissioner-mccarty-retiring-honored-by-mayor-kenney-37-years-of-protecting-delivering-philadelphias-water\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T18:45:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T23:45:58","slug":"commissioner-mccarty-retiring-honored-by-mayor-kenney-37-years-of-protecting-delivering-philadelphias-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/commissioner-mccarty-retiring-honored-by-mayor-kenney-37-years-of-protecting-delivering-philadelphias-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Commissioner McCarty Retiring, Honored By Mayor Kenney"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"big\">After nearly <strong>four decades<\/strong> of service defined by a barrier-breaking career that helped remold the centuries-old Philadelphia Water Department, <strong>Commissioner Debra McCarty announced her retirement<\/strong> at City Hall on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Joined by City officials and Water Department staff, <strong>Mayor James Kenney<\/strong> recognized McCarty\u2019s tenure in a ceremony marking the end of a dedicated and prolific career in public service. <strong>Mike Carroll<\/strong>, Deputy Managing Director of the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure &amp; Sustainability also offered remarks, and <strong>City Representative Sheila Hess<\/strong> attended the announcement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Today, OTIS joined <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhillyMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PhillyMayor<\/a> to honor the first woman to lead @PhillyH20, Deb McCarty. During her 37-year career with PWD, Deb has embodied the dedication and passion of public service.<\/p>\n<p>Best wishes in retirement Deb! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WomensHistoryMonth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WomensHistoryMonth<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3Bx7UbAVzg\">pic.twitter.com\/3Bx7UbAVzg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 oTIS Philadelphia (@PhillyOTIS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhillyOTIS\/status\/1106221791641509889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Addressing a packed Mayor\u2019s Reception Room, McCarty marveled at how much the waterways she strove to protect through her work with the City had changed over the years, with improved water quality transforming the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers into \u201ceconomic engines.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"big\"><p>\u201cNo one succeeds on their own,\u201d <span class=\"light\">McCarty told those gathered for her announcement.<\/span> \u201cI look around me, and I know I\u2019ve been lucky to work with so many dedicated City of Philadelphia employees over the years.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Appointed as the first woman ever to hold the title of Water Commissioner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenphillyblog.com\/news\/new-lady-in-charge-debra-mccarty-is-commissioner-of-philadelphia-water-dept\/\">in January 2016<\/a>, she oversaw the development and implementation of the nation\u2019s <strong>first water affordability program<\/strong> with the launch of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.phila.gov\/water-bill-help\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tiered Assistance Program<\/a> (TAP) in 2017. To date, <strong>more than 20,000 households<\/strong> have enrolled and received more affordable water bills.<\/p>\n<p>McCarty\u2019s other recent career highlights include a long list of achievements:<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<h4>Commissioner McCarty Leadership Highlights<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Expanded the Department\u2019s capital program to increase the amount of water and sewer main replacement and wastewater treatment plant upgrades.<\/li>\n<li>Implemented a policy providing free curb-to-meter lead pipe removal and replacement for homes found to have lead service lines during scheduled water main replacement work.<\/li>\n<li>Expanded a zero-interest loan for emergency residential plumbing repairs to include the removal of lead service lines to help residents get rid of lead pipes.<\/li>\n<li>Spearheaded the Department\u2019s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) contract negotiations and award.<\/li>\n<li>Led the drive to build a newly opened LEED-certified, high-tech Sewer Maintenance Facility in West Philadelphia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/news\/2016\/07\/19\/clean-water-maven\/#.XIpffSJKiCo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">celebrated graduate of Johns Hopkins University\u2019s <\/a>Environmental Engineering program, McCarty joined the Water Department as a sanitary engineer at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant in 1982.<\/p>\n<p>She has held several leadership positions at the Department and was appointed Deputy Water Commissioner of the Operations Division in April 2004.<\/p>\n<div class=\"side-info half right big mainblue-bg accentblue\"><strong>Work With Water:\u00a0<\/strong>Delivering water and treating water <strong>for 1.5 million people<\/strong> is critical,\u00a0challenging and rewarding work. <a class=\"white\" href=\"https:\/\/phillyh2o.info\/jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Check out posted jobs<\/strong> to see if a career with us is a fit for you.<\/a><\/div>\n<p>In that role, she was responsible for overseeing the operation and maintenance of three drinking water treatment plants, three wastewater treatment plants, <strong>3,200 miles<\/strong> of water mains, <strong>3,500 miles of sewers<\/strong>, <strong>79,000 inlets<\/strong>, <strong>25,000 fire hydrants<\/strong>, and various pumping stations throughout the city.<\/p>\n<h3>Speaking with her staff for a look back at her tenure with the Water Department, McCarty noted that she found a sense of purpose in a job defined by duty and service.<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Below are clips from that conversation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Water Commissioner Debra McCarty on How the Challenges of Being a Woman in Her Field Made her Stronger:<\/h4>\n<div class=\"embed\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">After 37 years of service, PWD Commissioner Debra McCarty joined <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhillyMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PhillyMayor<\/a> today to announce her retirement. Last week, we asked what it&rsquo;s like to lead as a woman in a field that was dominated by men when she graduated from <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnsHopkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JohnsHopkins<\/a> in 1979: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/U2qM3eWque\">pic.twitter.com\/U2qM3eWque<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Philadelphia Water (@PhillyH2O) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhillyH2O\/status\/1106216194913259520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Water Commissioner Debra McCarty on Her Legacy at PWD<\/h4>\n<div class=\"embed\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">After nearly four decades of service, our boss joined <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhillyMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PhillyMayor<\/a> and staff at City Hall today to announce her retirement. As part of a look-back at a career defined by a sense of duty, we asked Commissioner McCarty how she&#8217;d like to be remembered here. This is what she said: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/m8ok0uGWmo\">pic.twitter.com\/m8ok0uGWmo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Philadelphia Water (@PhillyH2O) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhillyH2O\/status\/1106211803674095616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 14, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Water Commissioner Debra McCarty on Why You Should Work for the Philadelphia Water Department<\/h4>\n<div class=\"video\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/323776449?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h4>Water Commissioner Debra McCarty on How to Get Through Tough Times<\/h4>\n<div class=\"video\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/323776354?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>City officials, Water Department staff and Mayor James Kenney recognized her tenure in a ceremony marking 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