Implementing Green Infrastructure: “Philadelphia is leading by example,” says US Environmental Protection Agency

February 2, 2014 - Posted in 2011 thru 2015, Design With Nature to Create Liveable Communities & Protect Stream Health - an array of contextual resources, Smaller Hydrologic Footprint, Uncategorised

City partners with five universities

Philadelphia is taking another step toward being in the forefront of the “sustainability” movement by using a $US5-million Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant for its “Green City, Clean Waters” plan.

EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe says Philadelphia is leading by example in implementing green infrastructure rainwater / stormwater management practices.

“Stormwater management, which sounds like such a dry subject, although it is very wet, is turning into something much bigger.”

Villanova, Temple, Penn, Swarthmore, and the University of New Hampshire, are each getting about $1-million to turn their students and teachers loose to evaluate how the city manages its water supply. The announcement was made at the Fairmont Water Works, the Delaware River Basin’s Watershed Education Center.

Villanova’s Rob Traver, a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says they’re addressing problems from combined sewer overflows

“We’re partnering with Philadelphia water. We want to go in and see how some of their current designs are working and then make suggestions to make them more cost effective and efficient.”

The intent is to protect a system that combines sewage and stormwater pipes that feed into water treatment facilities, where polluted wastewater is treated. When a system overflows, wastewater flows directly into waterways.

Green City, Clean Waters

Green rainwater infrastructure is crucial to the implementation of Green City, Clean Waters, the City’s innovative, environmentally-sustainable 25-year plan to protect and enhance local waterways primarily through the use of green rainwater infrastructure.

“As we evolve Philadelphia into America’s most sustainable and green city, the opportunities ahead will be limited only by the confines of our imaginations and the extent of our determination,” says Howard Neukrug, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department.

To Learn More:

To read more about Philadelphia’s bold plan for green infrastructure, click on these links to access stories previously published on Water Bucket:

• Clean Water….Green City: Blending the interests of land and water in Philadelphia 
• Philadelphia’s bold plan for rainwater/stormwater management envisions “giant sponge”
• Philadelphia plans to invest $1.6 billion to turn a third of city green in next 20 years

And click here to access the homepage for the Philadelphia Water Department’s Office of Watersheds.

Encouraging Informed Decisions About the Use of Land and Water

The Fairmount Water Works opened its doors in 1815 as the United States’ first major urban water supply system. It was decommissioned as a pumping station in 1909.

Today, the mission of the Fairmount Water Works is to foster stewardship of the Delaware River Basin’s shared water resources by encouraging informed decisions about the use of land and water. It educates citizens about Philadelphia’s urban watershed – its past, present and future – and collaborates with partners to instill an appreciation for the connections between daily life and the natural environment.