Philadelphia Water Department

Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters program, which began in 2011, embodies the city’s commitment to build widespread green storm water infrastructure over the next 25 years to help reduce the frequency and water quality impacts of overflows from the city’s combined sewer system. PWD’s Greened Acre Retrofit Program is part of this initiative. Through GARP the City reimburses landowners for the cost of green infrastructure development on properties within the combined sewer zone. In 2018, Greenprint Partners, a mission-driven green infrastructure developer, identified and aggregated of a group of project applications on behalf of institutional organizations located in lower-income areas of Philadelphia, the Leon H. Sullivan Human Services Center and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Germantown. These projects were approved for a total of $800,000 in green stormwater infrastructure site improvements from PWD and will drive more equitable distribution of grant funds and will result in nearly four new greened acres contributing to Philadelphia’s stormwater management goals.

Project at a Glance

Utility Overview

Utility: Philadelphia Water Department (PWD)
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Population served: ~2.2 million people (wastewater system)
Service area: 360 square miles (wastewater system)
Project Developer: Greenprint Partners
Project Proponents: Institutional ratepayers in PWD’s service area

Challenges

Combined sewer overflows
Aging water infrastructure
Impacts of climate change
Desire for urban revitalization
Need to keep rates affordable for all Philadelphians
Need to motivate private property owners and equitably build resilient solutions

Solution

Institutional ratepayer participation in PWD’s Greened Acre Retrofit Program to install green infrastructure on their private property and bring multiple benefits to vulnerable communities.

Program costs and funding sources