To see all of our Frequently Asked Questions, click here to view and download our FAQ pdf.
What climate change impacts are anticipated for Philadelphia?
Anticipated impacts from climate change in Philadelphia include more rain, extreme storms, higher air temperatures, rising sea levels, and possibly increased drought. Philadelphia is already experiencing many of these impacts and scientists expect these changes to increase in severity and magnitude within the coming century.
To learn more about the specific impacts Philadelphia may see due to climate change, check out these two reports from the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability:
How will rising sea levels affect Philadelphia?
Philadelphia is not as close to the Atlantic Ocean as other Northeastern US cities such as New York and Boston. However, the Schuylkill River below Fairmount Dam and the Delaware River along the Philadelphia border are tidal. Increasing sea level in the Atlantic Ocean is likely to increase sea level in the Delaware Bay and ultimately increase the elevations of high tide and low tide in the tidal Schuylkill River and the Delaware River that borders Philadelphia.
How may anticipated climate change impacts affect the drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services provided by the Philadelphia Water Department?
Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) provides clean, safe drinking water, wastewater treatment and stormwater management to all residents and businesses within Philadelphia County. All of the services PWD provides are anticipated to be impacted by climate change in one or more ways. Specific examples of these impacts can be found in our Statement on Climate Change, in our FAQ document and in the “Climate Change Impacts on PWD Systems” section above.
How is PWD planning for climate change impacts?
PWD created the Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP) in 2014 to better understand the impacts that climate change will have on the drinking water, waste water and stormwater systems. The goal of the program is to reduce the exposure to and associated expenses from climate change impacts by identifying and implementing effective, achievable adaptation strategies. The CCAP is using a risk assessment process based on the best available science to identify vulnerabilities and develop adaptation strategies that will be integrated into existing programs, inform major investments and guide operational and design standards.
How is climate change adaptation planning a function of infrastructure planning?
Providing safe drinking water, treating wastewater and managing stormwater requires a considerable amount of infrastructure. PWD has over 3,000 miles of water mains, over 3,500 miles of sewer pipes, over 75,000 stormwater inlets, over 20 pumping stations, 12 finished water reservoirs and storage facilities, three wastewater treatment plants, three drinking water treatment plants and more! Maintaining, upgrading and replacing city water infrastructure is paramount to everything we do. PWD infrastructure is designed to last a long time so considering the long-term impacts of climate change when designing projects is extremely important.
The CCAP is currently determining approaches to work within existing frameworks to ensure that climate change impacts are considered during the planning and design of infrastructure projects.