Waterloo Playground

Overview

The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) provided $320,000 of funding for the green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) installed at Waterloo Playground by the Make the World Better Foundation. The GSI components include a tree trench and rain garden that manage stormwater from the park’s impervious surfaces and a portion of Howard Street.

These systems will collectively capture up to 34,700 gallons of stormwater during each typical storm event – equivalent to 1.2 SEPTA buses filled with polluted water that would otherwise flow into the Delaware River during storm events. PWD will maintain the GSI systems.

The investment in these green systems is part of Green City, Clean Waters, Philadelphia’s 25-year plan to reduce the volume of combined sewer overflows through GSI installations and traditional infrastructure improvements.

The revitalization of Waterloo was made possible through partnerships with Parks and Recreation, Rebuild, Make The World Better, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.