Philadelphia’s grant program provides incentive for capturing rain where it falls, reports Howard Neukrug
Transform Hard Surfaces into Green Surfaces
The City of Philadelphia has an incentive program that is designed to be a catalyst for transforming large, commercial properties that generate high volumes of stormwater runoff — burdening the city’s sewer system and waterways — into properties that build and maintain green stormwater management practices.
Grant Program is Win-Win
The City has an ambitious goal to convert 9,500 impervious acres to “green cities” that capture and manage the first one inch of rainwater runoff to achieve beautiful, fishable, clean and healthy rivers and streams.
“This grant program is a win–win for the water department and for our business customers who have been impacted by an increase in storm-water fees, resulting 
from our parcel-based fee for stormwater,” said water commissioner Howard Neukrug.
“By working with customers who can manage stormwater from many acres of hard surfaces — and ideally public runoff from streets — we can transform pockets of our combined sewer areas into green acres in a cost-effective way.”
To Learn More:
To download and read the complete story published in the Philadelphia Tribune in December 2014, click on Water department grants to help manage stormwater.
To read more about Philadelphia’s bold plan for green infrastructure, click on these links to access stories previously published on Water Bucket:
Philadelphia has produced a video that explains how this green vision will be accomplished over time. Click on Green City, Blue Waters from the GreenTreks Network. And click here to access the homepage for the Philadelphia Water Department’s Office of Watersheds.