Calling upon The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) to use projected climate rainfall information to prioritize actions to fix raw sewage overflows and urging PWD to use real world climate related rainfall data to project the impacts of their Green City Clean Water (GCCW) plans.

Calling upon The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) to use projected climate rainfall information to prioritize actions to fix raw sewage overflows and urging PWD to use real world climate related rainfall data to project the impacts of their Green City Clean Water (GCCW) plans. WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s combined sewer system serves approximately 60 percent of our City. During wet weather conditions the older sections of our system can often overflow resulting in billions of gallons of stormwater and diluted sewage flowing directly into our local waterways each year; and WHEREAS, City Council has engaged the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) on several occasions seeking to determine how it can help PWD implement its responsibilities to reduce the discharge of raw sewage mixed with stormwater entering our rivers and creeks. We are particularly interested in learning how PWD is planning to address climate change impacts that threaten the health and economic vitality of our City; and WHEREAS, Recent reports, Unraveling the Facts and Good Intentions Are Not Enough, as well as a series of articles from Newsweek and WHYY demonstrate that Philadelphia is particularly vulnerable to climate induced rainfall resulting in the potential back up of raw sewage; and WHEREAS, PWD’s own 2022 Climate-Resistance Planning and Design Guidance states: “It is therefore imperative that PWD consider climate change in the planning and design of projects and programs for which regulatory compliance is…