Philadelphia's Green City, Clean Waters Needs Funding to Achieve Goals

Philadelphia is a national leader in green stormwater infrastructure, using rain gardens, tree trenches and green roofs to reduce stormwater overflows and deliver cleaner air and healthier communities. The city launched the 25 year Green City, Clean Waters plan to tackle stormwater runoff using natural solutions, and in its first five years created over 800 'greened acres' by retrofitting playgrounds, parks and other public spaces.

From the beginning, Philadelphia recognized that private investment would be key to meeting the program’s goals. Regulations now require new or redeveloping sites that disturb more than 15,000 square feet to manage the first inch of stormwater on site. Grant programs like the Stormwater Management Incentive Program (SMIP) and Greened Acre Retrofit Program (GARP) provide funding to private landowners and developers to install green infrastructure, allowing the city to take compliance credit at a lower cost than building on public property.

These incentives have been so successful that the Philadelphia Water Department is seeking an increased budget for them. PennFuture and the Natural Resources Defense Council recently urged the Philadelphia Water, Sewer and Stormwater Rate Board to support predictable funding so that Green City, Clean Waters can achieve its goals. We look forward to continuing this advocacy and will share updates as they develop.