About the OOW

The Philadelphia Water Department has enthusiastically adopted the role as our region’s “watershed champion”, which entails the dedicated implementation of a comprehensive, environmental approach to water resource management. Upholding this role, the Office of Watersheds, established in January of 1999 as a key unit of the water department’s Planning and Engineering Division, is working to transform Philadelphia’s urban waterways – as well as the land that surrounds and defines them - into vibrant, green communities where people want to live, work and play.

To achieve viable and measurable improvements to the region's waterways, the OOW is employing thoughtful development and management strategies that foster sound science, public involvement, and fiscal responsibility. These strategies, targeting the City’s sewer and stormwater piping infrastructure and drinking water sources, require the comprehensive optimization of resources and an adherence to regulatory requirements, both of which the OOW tenaciously executes within the guiding framework of holistic watershed management.

We are demonstrating - watershed by watershed, neighborhood by neighborhood - the coming together of an environmental vision with quality of life improvements, economic health, and sustainability. An avid dedication to this mission is what defines the character of the Office of Watersheds, from which will emerge a bright future for Philadelphia’s watersheds and the people who live in them.