Soak It Up, Philly!
Philadelphia's streets are going green, imitating the way natural surfaces absorb stormwater runoff. Join us Thursdays in March and April as we celebrate the City's newest Green Streets!
Philadelphia's Streets Are Alive!
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Please join the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) as we celebrate the newest green streets in your community during the Soak It Up, Philly! events on Thursdays in March and April at 4:30 p.m. The Soak It Up, Philly! celebrations are all about green streets and commemorating Green City, Clean Waters—the City's innovative and environmentally sustainable plan to improve the health of our waterways through primarily a green approach. Come and join us in ribbon cuttings with your favorite Philadelphia dignitaries, a tour of the green street features, art activities including sidewalk chalking and yarn graffiti, flower bulb plantings and more! Plus, we will have FREE refreshments, music and activities for all ages! Soak It Up, Philly! flyer (2 MB PDF) |
 Mayor Nutter tests the porous asphalt at Percy Street in South Philadelphia |
March 1, 2012 East Montgomery Avenue & Blair Street - New Kensington
Click here for photos from the March 1 Soak It Up event!
March 8, 2012 16th Street & Jackson Street - South Philadelphia
Click here for photos from the March 8 Soak It Up event!
March 22, 2012 Belfield Avenue & East Walnut Lane - East Germantown
Click here for photos from the March 22 Soak It Up event!
March 29, 2012 7th Street & Cumberland Street - Eastern North Philadelphia
Click here for photos from the March 29 Soak It Up event!
April 5, 2012 Queen Lane & Fox Street – East Falls
Click here for photos from the April 5 Soak It Up event!
April TBD 2012 2nd Street & Spring Garden Avenue – Northern Liberties
Mark your calendars and come on out! Rain or shine!
What is a Green Street?
Philadelphia’s streets, sidewalks and hard surfaces comprise the largest single category of public impervious cover (surfaces that don’t absorb water) in the City. To address the negative impacts of street runoff on our waterways, PWD has developed green street designs that provide stormwater management while maintaining the primary function of the street for vehicles and pedestrians. PWD will implement green streets where appropriate throughout the City’s right-of-ways, public streets and sidewalks to maximize stormwater management opportunities.
A green street uses a combination of vegetated and engineered strategies to manage stormwater runoff on-site. Green street designs incorporate various green stormwater infrastructure tools to capture runoff from streets and sidewalks and infiltrate it into the soil to recharge groundwater and surface water while reducing Combined Sewer Overflows. Green streets have the ability to:
- Improve the water quality of the City's creeks and rivers
- Enhance the beauty of our neighborhoods with trees and green spaces
- Improve the pedestrian experience
- Assist with traffic calming on some streets
- Reduce the urban heat island effect
- Improve Philadelphia’s air quality
- Help Philadelphia meet the sustainability goals set forth in the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability’s Greenworks plan
Green Infrastructure Tools
The following landscape practices and green tools will be featured at the Soak It Up, Philly! ribbon cutting events. Although there are many design variations, the main green street project types are:
Stormwater Bumpouts - vegetated curb extensions that capture stormwater runoff from the street and sidewalk and redirect it into the bumpout structure where it is stored, infiltrated and taken up by the plant’s roots.
Stormwater Planters - vegetated planters that capture stormwater runoff from the street and sidewalk and direct it into an underground system where it is stored, infiltrated and taken up by the plant’s roots.
Stormwater Tree Trenches - a system of street tree plantings connected by an underground storage system. Runoff flows through a special storm drain into the tree trench where it is stored, infiltrated, and taken up by the tree’s roots.
Porous Pavement - porous asphalt or concrete that allows water to soak into a subsurface drainage layer that provides temporary storage and allows the water to slowly infiltrate into the soil below.
Resources
If you are unable to attend one of the Soak It Up, Philly! events, there are many other ways you can participate:
- Check out our Residents Page for detailed information and instructions on green tools and practices that homeowners can install to make a difference.
- View the Green Homes video for inspiration on environmentally friendly home improvements.
- Take a look at our Rain Barrel Workshops page for information on PWD’s free rain barrel distribution program.
- If you want to stay in the know about all of the cool things PWD is doing throughout the city, check out our Watersheds Blog or sign up for email updates about events and programs.
Many Thanks to our Partners
A special thank you to Michael Smith and Donovan Preddy for the "Soak It Up, Philly!" tagline and for developing some great ideas for sharing stormwater management with the Philadelphia community.
Contact
Questions? Comments? Would you like more information? Send us an e-mail at questions@phillywatersheds.org
