Tacony Creek Park Storage
Tacony Creek Park Storage: Real–time Control
I Street and Ramona Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19124
Although Philadelphia’s water infrastructure system was once considered state-of-the-art, in many places sewer pipes are too small to handle the volumes that the growing population demands, and they frequently overflow into local creeks and rivers. During heavy rain, a combination of rainwater (from roofs and streets) and sewage (from homes and businesses) overflow into the Frankford Creek through a large pipe opening (or outfall) near I Street and Ramona.
The 25 ft diameter pipe rarely fills entirely and, if it had a mechanism for temporarily sealing its opening to the creek, has the capacity to hold back approximately 17.6 million gallons of mixed rainwater and sewage during rainstorms. The polluted water stored in the pipe during the storm could then be treated at the wastewater treatment plant after the storm passed.
The Philadelphia Water Department is working to install a “Pelican Gate,” a large barrier near the opening of the pipe that can adjust its height according to the amount of sewer water pressing against it. This would turn the already existing sewer pipe into a massive, temporary storage container.
Benefits:
- An average reduction in sewage overflows of 750 million gallons/year
- A significant reduction of pollution to the Frankford Creek
Contact:
Marc Cammarata
Philadelphia Water Department, Office of Watersheds
(215) 685-4948
