Clean The Delaware

Billions of gallons of pollution harm our Delaware River

The Delaware river is a waterway with a storied history, from Washington’s historic winter crossing, to the Lenape Indians who made their homes along its banks. The Delaware supports abundant wildlife, from bald eagles and herring, to striped bass and blue heron, and attracts over 500,000 people annually to boat, camp, hunt, hike, and watch wildlife.

But portions of the Delaware are anything but scenic or ready for recreation.

In fact, the section of the Delaware River that flows through Philadelphia is so polluted that it’s listed as unsafe for contact on nearly 130 days out of the year. The primary culprit for this is the fact that the Philadelphia Water Department dumps nearly 15 billion gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater into the Delaware annually.

The Delaware River should be safe enough to swim and fish in

If we want the Delaware River to be clean enough for recreational activities like boating and swimming and safe for the wildlife that make the river their home, then the dumping of billions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater into the Delaware River has got to stop. This means strengthening pollution permits for the Philadelphia Water Department and convincing local officials to require PWD to treat its sewage before dumping it into the Delaware River. 

The good news is that we have the technology to fix our sewer systems, and in fact, cities all across America are already in the process of doing this. It’s time for Philadelphia to follow the leadership of these cities and come up with a plan to halt sewage into the Delaware River as quickly as possible.

Our health and environment are at risk

The untreated sewage and stormwater pollution that PWD is dumping into the Delaware River often contains bacteria, parasites and viruses. If you swim or even just come into contact with that contaminated water it can cause all sorts of negative health effects, from lung and intestinal infections, diarrhea, cramps, vomiting and loss of appetite, fever, headache and weakness, and other illnesses.  Shockingly, it’s estimated that more than 86 million cases of illness from swimming, boating and fishing in polluted waters occur each year in the U.S.  

Untreated sewage also contaminates the water with toxic substances that harm fish and wildlife. This polluted water subjects animals living in the Delaware River and the rivers and streams that feed it to harmful algal outbreaks, a lack of oxygen and toxic chemicals. And puts anyone eating the fish they catch at risk.

Our leaders should act now to clean up the Delaware River

To stop the release of billions of gallons of raw sewage and stormwater into the Delaware River, PennEnvironment is working to get Philadelphia City Council and Mayor Parker to require the Philadelphia Water Department to upgrade its sewage system in order to stop dumping this pollution into the river we love. We are also working to convince state officials at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to improve the water pollution permits for PWD’s sewer systems to force them to stop dumping untreated, polluted sewage and stormwater into the Delaware. So far, we have convinced Philadelphia City Council to pass a resolution calling for an investigation into PWD’s practices. Now we want them to go further and get PWD to clean up its sewage waste.

PennEnvironment can deliver a cleaner Delaware River

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center’s research helped uncover the massive amount of untreated sewage coming from PWD’s sewer system. Our recent report showed where the largest discharges of this pollution are taking place along the river, and garnered high profile media attention, including stories in the Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY, and others that helped put a spotlight on this problem. Now we need to mobilize the tens of thousands of Philadelphians who have heard about this threat to our river, and make their voices heard in City hall so we can  get PWD to take immediate action.

We’re also working with a coalition of outdoor recreational groups, local community organizations, infrastructure and water quality experts and others to help our elected leaders in Philadelphia and Harrisburg develop and implement the best plan for a cleaner, healthier Delaware River.