Tartaglione Announces $6.7 Million in State Financing to Reduce Wastewater Overflows in Lawncrest

Tartaglione Announces $6.7 Million in State Financing to Reduce Wastewater Overflows in Lawncrest

The City of Philadelphia will use the funds to construct 31 green stormwater infrastructure systems, helping to manage more than 13 acres of drainage area in the public right of way.

Philadelphia, PA – January 20, 2021 – State Senator Christine Tartaglione is pleased to announce that the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) board today approved a $6.7 million loan to the City of Philadelphia for the rehabilitation of the stormwater collection system in the Lawncrest neighborhood.

The approved financing will be used to construct 31 green stormwater infrastructure systems, including tree trenches, stormwater bumpouts, and stormwater trees. These systems will manage more than 13 acres of drainage area in the public right of way in Lawncrest. They will reduce the amount of stormwater entering the city’s combined sewer system in the area and help to prevent sewer overflows into local streams and the public water supply.

“Even in a dense urban area like Lawncrest in the heart of one of the nation’s largest cities, environmental protection must be our utmost concern,” Senator Tartaglione said. “Projects like this reduce the amount of contaminated wastewater that, during major storm events, overflow our over-burdened sewers and drain into local waterways like the Tacony Creek and ultimately the Delaware River.”

The project will help the city to satisfy the requirements of a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Consent Order and Agreement mandating that the city reduce combined sewer overflows. A combined sewer is a system in which household wastewater and stormwater are drained through the same network of underground pipes. Most of Philadelphia is served by combined sewers. 

During major storm events, the volume of stormwater can fill the system and cause untreated wastewater to overflow sewer inlets. This untreated wastewater poses threats to public health, community health, and aquatic health. 

For more information about the City of Philadelphia’s efforts to manage stormwater, visit the Philadelphia Water Department website: https://www.phila.gov/water/wu/stormwater/Pages/StormwaterManagement.aspx

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact William Kenny at 215-533-0440 or William.Kenny@pasenate.com.