Philadelphia Water Department

Philadelphia Water Department

Company type	City agency
Industry	Water supply and wastewater management
Founded	1801
Headquarters	Philadelphia , United States
Area served	Philadelphia, Bucks County, Delaware County, Montgomery County
Products	Potable water, wastewater treatment, stormwater management

The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) functions as the municipal water utility for Philadelphia, delivering comprehensive services related to potable water, wastewater, and stormwater management to Philadelphia as well as portions of Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. As a city agency, it operates out of leased space located in the Jefferson Tower in Center City.

PWD’s primary responsibilities include the strategic planning, operation, and upkeep of infrastructure and workforce necessary to supply safe drinking water consistently for residential, commercial, and industrial consumers. Additionally, it oversees wastewater and stormwater systems to safeguard important regional watersheds such as the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers.

Serving a population exceeding 1.7 million residents across Philadelphia and Lower Bucks County, PWD prioritizes the protection of local waterways while tackling issues like agricultural runoff, urban contaminants, radionuclides, and the environmental effects of treated effluent.

History

Since its establishment in 1801, the Philadelphia Water Department has provided water services, created in response to deadly yellow fever outbreaks with aims to enhance public health, firefighting capabilities, and sanitation standards. Unlike many other cities that relied on private enterprises for water supply, Philadelphia was among the first to develop a municipally owned water system. Water distribution extended throughout the city with paying customers receiving direct service and free access available through public hydrants.

The original system utilized steam engines located at Centre Square (present-day Philadelphia City Hall) and Chestnut Street to pump water from the Schuylkill River but struggled with high operational costs and mechanical difficulties. In 1815, the Fairmount facility commenced operations featuring upgraded steam engines that pumped water up to reservoirs situated on hills near what is now the Philadelphia Museum of Art. By 1821, a dam constructed across the Schuylkill River powered water wheels that drove pumps, replacing expensive steam technology with more economical hydraulic power. Between 1851 and 1871, Jonval turbines were installed to further increase pumping efficiency. Additional steam-driven pumping stations were established in various parts of the city sourcing water from the Schuylkill River, Delaware River, Monoshone Creek, and natural springs.

Following Fairmount’s decommissioning in 1911, its structures were converted for public use and currently serve as the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center within Fairmount Park, overseen by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.

To address pollution concerns, both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania enacted legislation beginning in 1828 aimed at reducing contaminants and acquired land to create Fairmount Park as a protective buffer for the Schuylkill watershed. Despite these measures, industrial discharges and combined sewer overflows severely degraded river quality, leading to widespread outbreaks of waterborne illnesses such as typhoid fever from the Civil War era through the early 1900s.

Between 1901 and 1912, five slow sand filtration plants were constructed by the city. The introduction of chlorination in 1914 coupled with these filtration systems significantly lowered disease rates. Among these facilities were the Torresdale Filter Plant (now known as Samuel S. Baxter Water Treatment Plant) and Lardner's Point Pumping Station—both ranking among the largest worldwide at that period.

From the 1920s until the 1940s, steam-powered engines fueled by coal were progressively replaced by electric pumps except at Fairmount. Between the late 1940s and early 1960s, slow sand filters were modernized into rapid sand filters offering enhanced treatment efficiency.

Currently, three treatment plants—Baxter in Northeast Philadelphia; Queen Lane in East Falls; and Belmont located in West Philadelphia—provide treated water services to Philadelphia and adjacent suburban communities.

Watersheds

Philadelphia is situated within the Delaware River watershed, which extends over approximately 14,119 square miles across five states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. This watershed accounts for about 0.4% of the total U.S. land area and supports a population near 4.17 million.

The city is segmented into seven principal subwatersheds that channel water into the Delaware River: Schuylkill, Wissahickon, Darby-Cobbs, Pennypack, Tacony-Frankford, Poquessing, and Delaware Direct. Among these, the Delaware Direct subwatershed is relatively small but receives runoff from the others.

Darby-Cobbs

Covering close to 77 square miles with roughly 66% of its surface impervious, the Darby-Cobbs watershed encompasses regions within Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. It includes municipalities such as Easttown, Tredyffrin, Aldan, Clifton Heights, Darby, Haverford, Lansdowne, Marple, Ridley Park, Springfield, Upper Darby, Lower Merion, and Narberth.

Delaware Direct

The area of Philadelphia draining directly into the Delaware River spans about 40 square miles inside city limits. This subwatershed has an estimated impervious surface coverage of 72% and primarily collects runoff from residential neighborhoods adjacent to the river.

Pennypack

The Pennypack watershed drains roughly 56 square miles within Philadelphia and includes portions of Montgomery and Bucks counties. It has an impervious surface percentage around 33% and covers twelve municipalities such as Abington, Bryn Athyn, Hatboro, Horsham, Lower Moreland, Rockledge, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, Upper Southampton, and Warminster.

Poquessing

Draining an area near 22 square miles with about 38% impervious coverage, this watershed spans parts of Philadelphia as well as Bucks and Montgomery counties. It comprises four municipalities: Lower Moreland, Bensalem, Lower Southampton, and Upper Southampton.

Schuylkill

Extending over nearly 2,000 square miles with approximately 10% impervious surface area, the Schuylkill watershed includes eleven counties: Schuylkill, Berks, Montgomery, Chester, Philadelphia, Carbon, Lehigh, Lebanon, Lancaster, Bucks, and Delaware.

Tookany/Tacony-Frankford

This watershed drains around 33 square miles with an impervious surface rate of 48%. It covers sections of Philadelphia and Montgomery counties and five municipalities: Abington, Cheltenham, Jenkintown, Rockledge, and Springfield.

Wissahickon

Spanning about 64 square miles with a 24% impervious surface portion, the Wissahickon watershed lies within Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. It includes fifteen municipalities such as Abington, Ambler, Cheltenham, Horsham, Lansdale, Lower Gwynedd, Montgomery Township, North Wales, Springfield Township, Upper Dublin Township, Upper Gwynedd Township, Upper Moreland Township, Whitemarsh Township, Whitpain Township, and Worcester Township.

Wastewater treatment and infrastructure

By the end of the 19th century in 1899, Philadelphia managed roughly 800 miles of combined sanitary and storm sewer lines; today this network extends close to 3,000 miles. Initially designed to discharge untreated sewage directly into local waterways—resulting in severe pollution—these sewers contributed to environmental degradation despite water filtration making river water potable; aquatic ecosystems remained harmed and raw water was still unsafe.

In 1912 a small primary wastewater treatment facility was established along Pennypack Creek to safeguard the intake for the Torresdale Water Treatment Plant. Subsequently in 1914—following state directives—the city implemented a comprehensive sewage management strategy that included three treatment plants supported by extensive intercepting sewers aimed at reducing river contamination.

The Northeast Sewage Treatment Plant began operations in 1923 on the Delaware River's banks; however progress slowed during the Great Depression and World War II. Construction activities resumed in the late 1940s leading to the commissioning of Southeast and Southwest plants by the mid-1950s. By the 1980s all three facilities had been upgraded to provide secondary treatment. Collectively these plants are designed for a capacity of 522 million gallons daily with a peak capacity reaching up to 1.044 billion gallons per day; they also serve wastewater from surrounding communities.

Wastewater treatment

Philadelphia's sewer infrastructure directs wastewater to three water pollution control facilities: Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast. Together, these plants process an average of 471 million gallons daily, releasing treated effluent into the Delaware River.

Drinking water treatment

The city manages three drinking water treatment plants: Samuel S. Baxter located on the Delaware River, and Queen Lane and Belmont situated on the Schuylkill River.

To prevent brackish tidal water from the Delaware River from contaminating the Schuylkill intake, the Fairmount Dam serves as a barrier. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, quality standards are enforced; residents consume between 80 and 100 gallons daily on average. These three modern facilities have a combined design capacity of 540 million gallons per day. The treatment process involves multiple stages to meet regulatory requirements.

Operations

Water sourced from the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers enters Philadelphia Water’s system untreated, traveling up to 330 miles through agricultural lands, industrial sites, commercial areas, and neighborhoods—each contributing various pollutants. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) treats this water to ensure it is safe for consumption before distribution.

PWD’s primary functions include treating raw river water for potable use; collecting and treating wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sources—including stormwater—to purify it prior to discharge into the Delaware River; and managing stormwater to prevent sewer overflows. Additionally, PWD processes biosolids—solid byproducts from wastewater treatment—transforming them into nutrient-rich compost at its Biosolids Recycling Center.

Source Water Protection Program

Established in 1999 alongside the Office of Watersheds, the Source Water Protection Program collaborates with partners beyond city limits to protect Philadelphia’s drinking water supply, which depends equally on the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. PWD treats approximately 250 million gallons daily through its plants. The program continuously monitors water quality, identifies contamination sources, and studies flow dynamics while addressing challenges such as climate change, deforestation, urban development, stormwater and agricultural runoff, chemical spills, treated wastewater discharge, pharmaceuticals, wildlife contamination, and improper waste disposal.

Although water quality faced criticism in 2011, Philadelphia Water has since received numerous accolades for its dedication to maintaining drinking water standards and environmental responsibility.

Delaware Valley Early Warning System

The Early Warning System employs real-time water quality monitoring through river gauges and sensors to simulate and forecast downstream pollutant movement resulting from spills, accidents, or floods. It aids emergency response by notifying safety officials via telephone and email when incidents occur. Developed as part of the Source Water Protection initiative, it operates along the corridor from the Delaware Water Gap to Wilmington, Delaware, activating alerts during spill or flood events.

In 2014, a "tidal spill trajectory animation" feature was incorporated to enhance understanding of how tidal flow affects pollution dispersion, thereby refining response measures.

For this pioneering web-based system, Philadelphia Water earned the 2015 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council in recognition of its vital contribution to safeguarding water quality for millions across the greater Philadelphia region.

RainCheck

RainCheck is an initiative by Philadelphia Water designed to assist residents in capturing stormwater to minimize sewer system overflows. This effort is carried out in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The program provides four distinct property-based solutions: downspout planters that promote vegetation and water reuse, rain barrels for collecting gray water, masonry projects that replace impermeable surfaces with permeable materials, and rain gardens that absorb runoff from roofs, thereby decreasing the volume of stormwater entering municipal sewers.

Through these measures, residents can play an active role in reducing pollution by effectively managing stormwater runoff.

Migratory fish passage restoration and monitoring

Historically, Philadelphia’s rivers supported spawning runs of American shad and other anadromous fish species, as well as catadromous species such as the American eel. Although native fish populations continue to inhabit the Delaware Estuary and its tributaries, Philadelphia Water primarily concentrates its monitoring efforts on American shad.

In 2008, the Fairmount Dam Fishway was constructed on the Schuylkill River by the department, allowing shad to migrate upstream for spawning purposes. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this fishway has enabled passage for more than 3,000 fish. A video monitoring system records fish counts for ongoing assessment.

Philadelphia Water collaborates with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to monitor migratory fish populations using electrofishing techniques to estimate abundance. Additionally, hatchery tags on captured fish are examined to differentiate between hatchery-raised and wild individuals, which aids in evaluating natural population trends versus hatchery contributions.

Stormwater grants

Initiated in 2012 by Philadelphia Water alongside the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the stormwater grants program seeks to reduce installation expenses for green infrastructure among eligible non-residential clients and contractors. The program promotes stormwater management practices aimed at decreasing runoff entering city sewer systems and waterways. Two main grant categories are offered: the Stormwater Management Incentives Program (SMIP) and the Greened Acre Retrofit Program (GARP).

Stormwater Management Incentives Program

SMIP is designed for large commercial properties featuring significant impervious surfaces that generate substantial stormwater runoff impacting the sewer network. It provides financial support for retrofitting such properties with green stormwater infrastructure. Applications may be submitted by property owners or tenants with authorization, with competitive grants generally limited to $100,000 or less per impervious acre.

Greened Acre Retrofit Program

GARP assists contractors by subsidizing costs associated with implementing stormwater management projects within Philadelphia’s combined sewer area. Funding is typically awarded to contractors or project aggregators handling projects around or exceeding 10 acres. Competitive applications usually request amounts up to approximately $90,000 per impervious acre.

Water mains

Philadelphia Water oversees a network of 3,200 miles of water mains, divided into transmission mains, distribution mains, and service connections. Transmission mains—defined as pipes exceeding 16 inches in diameter—transport large volumes of water between pump stations and reservoirs. Distribution mains are smaller pipes under 16 inches that convey water from transmission mains to customer connections. Service connections link distribution mains directly to individual buildings or homes and are owned by property owners.

Water main failures

A water main failure happens when a rupture develops due to a hole or crack, often caused by external corrosion and elevated pressure. These failures can discharge millions of gallons of water. To manage such incidents, the water supply is turned off and the affected pipe segment is replaced.

Philadelphia monitors breaks per 1,000 miles of pipe using a five-year moving average to smooth out weather-related fluctuations. In 2001, the city reported 212 breaks per 1,000 miles—the lowest figure in 45 years and better than the national range of 240–270 breaks.

Environmental programs

The Philadelphia Water Department has introduced multiple environmental programs, such as "Biogas Cogeneration," "Green City, Clean Waters," and "Green Stormwater Infrastructure."

Biogas cogeneration

Supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, biogas cogeneration generates both electricity and heat by utilizing methane gas produced during sewage treatment.

In December 2011, in line with Greenworks Philadelphia, the city committed to implementing biogas cogeneration at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant—one of the pioneering facilities nationwide. The $47.5 million initiative was funded by Bank of America, which owns the plant leased to the city for 16 years.

The city collaborated with Ameresco Inc., a company focusing on energy efficiency and infrastructure improvements. Renovations finalized in 2014 allowed the facility to supply approximately 85% of its electricity demand via biogas cogeneration. Sludge digesters facilitate the decomposition of organic matter to produce biogas by eliminating water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, and siloxane gas. This method captures over 80% of the energy potential, generating nearly 43 million kWh annually.

Producing electricity on-site from waste reduces transmission losses and has received widespread acclaim for its operational efficiency.

Green City, Clean Waters

Green City, Clean Waters is a long-term, 25-year program by Philadelphia Water aimed at safeguarding watersheds through stormwater management and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). The initiative addresses issues stemming from outdated infrastructure and climate change effects on public health, concentrating primarily on minimizing combined sewer overflows (CSOs). It uses green infrastructure solutions such as rain gardens, swales, and stormwater tree trenches to capture and absorb stormwater, thereby reducing flooding and erosion in Philadelphia’s waterways.

This program was honored with the American Planning Association (APA) Pennsylvania Chapter’s Planning Excellence Award for Implementation on October 21, 2014. Subsequently, on March 31, 2015, it received the APA National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation in recognition of its substantial urban enhancements. By that date, Green City, Clean Waters had completed 113 green infrastructure projects with an additional 187 under design.

Research suggests that green infrastructure may contribute to lowering crime rates over time. A 12-year study published in the American Journal of Public Health found a significant association between installing green stormwater infrastructure and reductions in local crime incidents.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI)

As part of its Green City, Clean Waters program aimed at boosting environmental sustainability, Philadelphia Water actively integrates green stormwater infrastructure into its operations.

On April 12, 2012, the city's GSI strategy received formal support from the EPA and then-Mayor Michael Nutter, endorsing Philadelphia’s vision to become the nation’s leading green city.

Traditionally, Philadelphia utilized a combined sewer system that merged sewage, stormwater runoff, and gray water into a single pipeline. During heavy precipitation events, this system would overflow directly into the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers, resulting in pollution through combined sewer overflows (CSOs). To mitigate these impacts, Philadelphia Water prioritizes green infrastructure solutions designed to capture and retain stormwater, releasing it slowly to minimize CSO occurrences and safeguard local watershed health.

The Green City, Clean Waters initiative implements integrated soil-water-plant systems that cleanse stormwater pollutants by filtering water into the soil, evaporating portions into the atmosphere, and gradually discharging remaining volumes into sewer systems. This method specifically targets impervious urban surfaces such as rooftops and roadways, which contribute significantly to runoff linked to urban development and subsequent CSO-related contamination.

Energy Efficiency

Philadelphia Water has collaborated with NovaThermal Energy, a local company, to utilize heat recovery from sewage for warming the Southeast Water Pollution Control Facility. Adjacent sewage flows transfer thermal energy to a geothermal system with a capacity of 1 million BTU per hour located in the facility’s basement. This water-source heat pump employs filtration technology to extract heat from existing sewage channels, thereby eliminating the need for costly geothermal well drilling.

greenSTEM Network

The greenSTEM Network incorporates urban watershed research into Philadelphia public school curricula by employing cost-effective devices such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi. Initiated at TechCamp Philadelphia in 2013 through a partnership between Philadelphia Water and Code for Philly, the program enables students to remotely monitor school garden conditions using internet-connected sensors.

In 2014, students created Root Kits—soil moisture monitoring tools—that provide real-time online access to garden data for optimizing irrigation practices. By 2015, participants constructed solar-powered birdhouses equipped with infrared cameras to observe nesting behaviors while simultaneously tracking soil moisture levels. The initiative also offers educational field trips to the Fairmount Water Works and engages Science Leadership Academy students in programming Root Kits and assembling sensor-enabled birdhouses for distribution to other schools.

Governance

• Randy E. Hayman, Water Commissioner
• Melissa LaBuda, Deputy Water Commissioner of Finance
• Gerald Leatherman, Deputy Water Commissioner of Administration and Human Resources
• Benjamin Jewell, Deputy Water Commissioner of Operations
• Glen Abrams, Deputy Commissioner of Communications and Engagement
• Stephen J. Furtek, General Manager of Planning and Engineering
• Marc Cammarata, Deputy Water Commissioner of Planning & Environmental Services
• Ji Jun, General Counsel
• Damien Wright, Director of Innovation and Technology

Statistics

Overview:

Number of employees: 1,836

Drinking water service population: nearly 1.7 million

Wastewater service population: close to 2.2 million

Coverage areas:

Philadelphia water supply covers 130 square miles

Wholesale water distribution area exceeds 101.35 square miles

Water processing, storage, and distribution:

Daily average volume of treated water supplied: around 250 million gallons (MGD)

Combined capacity for raw and treated water storage: 1,065.5 million gallons (MG)

Aggregate treatment capacity across three facilities: 546 MGD

Water infrastructure details:

Total length of water mains: 3,174 miles

Annual replacement of main pipelines: 16.1 miles

Number of valves installed: 91,240

Count of fire hydrants in service: 25,355

Wastewater treatment and network infrastructure:

Average daily sewage processing volume: approximately 461 MGD

Wastewater service coverage includes Philadelphia at 134 square miles and suburban areas spanning 230 square miles

Total length of collector pipes in system: about 3,722 miles

Length of separate sanitary sewers: 762 miles

Stormwater sewer length: 738 miles

Combined sewer system length: 1,856 miles

Length of force mains, inlets, and vent pipes combined: 368 miles

Number of wastewater pumping stations: 16

Stormwater pumping stations count: 3

Total stormwater inlets installed: 74,430

Annual sewer reconstruction length: 6.6 miles

See also

• Water supply and sanitation in the United States

External links

• Philadelphia Watersheds information site