Every year in April the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) releases the previous years’ drinking water quality report to let consumers know what is happening with local and national drinking water standards and quality. Here are some fun facts from the 2009 Drinking Water Consumer Quality Report:
- Philadelphia has consistently performed better than all drinking water standards developed by the EPA to protect public health.
- You can save money by drinking tap water instead of bottled water. If you pay $1 for a 20-ounce bottle of water, that works out to $6.40 a gallon. Philadelphia’s water cost’s less than 1 cent per gallon.
- If you think you might have lead pipes in your home the PWD will come test your tap water for FREE. Call 215-685-6300
- Philadelphia has enough linear sewer miles to go from Phila to Los Angeles and back again.
- Voice your thoughts about keeping our water clean by attending Water Quality Education Citizens Advisory Council Meetings
- You can help protect Philadelphia’s drinking water by following some simple guidelines:
- Use less water.
- Keep trash of the street and out of storm drains.
- Avoid feeding geese and other wildlife near streams.
- Pick up after your dog.
- Do NOT flush unused medications.
