News
DEP Advises Residents, Anglers to Avoid Sewage-Contaminated Tookany, Frankford Creeks
Please read the important announcement below from the Pennsylvania DEP! DEP Advises Residents, Anglers to Avoid Sewage-Contaminated Tookany, Frankford Creeks in Montgomery County, Philadelphia: Ongoing Sewer Overflow Releasing Untreated Sewage into Creek NORRISTOWN — The Department of Environmental Protection is warning residents and anglers to stay out of Tookany and Frankford creeks in Cheltenham Township,…
Join the Wingohocking Tree Tenders!
In response to the declining tree population in Germantown and a growing demand for street trees, TTF has created the Wingohocking Tree Tenders Group. The group will serve to educate residents on the benefits of trees in urban areas, help plan and implement new tree plantings, and help care for existing trees. This is an…
Join the Movement for a Litter Free Philadelphia!
As we’ve written about before, litter is one of the major problems facing our watershed. So of course we were thrilled to learn that the City of Philadelphia has just launched its UnLitter Us Initiative. The program includes an awesome PSA campaign featuring videos like these: Please go to the Streets Department site today to…
The Story of Bottled Water
We’ve been thinking a lot about bottled water lately. Sometimes, when we talk about the major problem with pollution in our streams and rivers, people think that means we shouldn’t drink local tap water. Instead, they think we should be importing bottled water from some supposedly pristine far-away place. As Ashley recently pointed out, this…
Watch Reverend Williams on NBC 10!
Longtime TTF partner and dear friend Reverend Chester Williams was recently featured on NBC 10 in recognition of all of his hard work in the community. Watch the video below — TTF staff members Ashley and Sarah make appearances in it as well!
Tap into Tap Water
Here at TTF we do talk a lot about how dirty our local waterways are due to pollution from stormwater runoff, illegal dumping, and litter to name a few things. We discuss these issues in order to demonstrate how our day to day activities as residents of this city affect our water resource and also…
World Water Day
Today is an international day to celebrate fresh water! Every year since 1993, March 22nd has been a day to focus on one aspect of the world’s freshwater resources, this year the focus is on water quality. The goals of this years campaign are to: Raise awareness about sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being through…
Vote for POP!
Our good friends at the Philadelphia Orchard Project have a good chance of winning $15,000 for being a green hero! POP has helped to beautify our city over the past few years by turning vacant spaces into beautiful –and useful –orchards: Since 2007 POP has planted 17 orchards in neighborhoods across the city, totaling 158…
Captain Charles Moore on The Late Show
Captain Charles Moore appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman earlier this week. Moore is the first person to document the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a gigantic gyre of marine litter that made up of 90% plastic waste. As Moore says, “Plastic is overtaking the natural world.” Beth from Fake Plastic Fish has a…
The New York Times Looks at Crumbling Urban Sewer Infrastructures
Here is another great article in the New York Times’Toxic Waters series. This time, Charles Duhigg takes a look at the cost of replacing crumbling urban sewer and water infrastructures in cities like Washington, DC. He notes that: State and federal studies indicate that thousands of water and sewer systems may be too old to…
Snow Management Advice from the DEP
Our friends at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have sent a timely reminder about snow removal and its connection to our waterways. Download the fact sheet [.pdf] — it will make you think! Here’s a sample: What is the best way to manage snow accumulation on streets, highways, and parking lots and protect the…
Opportunity for Northwest Philadelphia Residents to Win $600 in Energy-Saving Devices!
The Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation (OARC) launches contest asking neighbors to fill out “What Now? Survey” on energy conservation Aiming to lead a “Go Green” revolution in city’s Northwest section, OARC is launching an energy-conservation contest for Northwest Philadelphia residents that will provide the winner and his or her neighbors with installation of energy-saving…
Tour of Tacony Creek Park/Juniata Golf Course Area
Last week, TTF staff took a tour of Tacony Creek Park and the creekside areas near the Juniata Golf Course. What we found is that, despite all of our hard work and the hard work of our partners, we still have a lot of work to do! Illegal dumping and litter are major problems in…
An Inspiring Message from PennFuture
PennFuture is leading the way on challenging the Marcellus Shale Drilling. Go PennFuture! Drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale is growing at a breakneck pace – often destroying water supplies and damaging local communities, with no tax in place to restore and repair the damage and reimburse our citizens – it’s clear that…
A New Year’s Resolution to Keep!
Here is a great New Year’s Resolution for Pennsylvania recommended by PennFuture: Enact mandatory recycling of electronic gadgets and computers. There is nothing to prevent people from simply dumping electronic gadgets, computers and televisions into landfills, even though many are classified as hazardous waste and often contain toxic materials. Legislation being considered by the House…
Water-Related Legislation News from PennFuture
We are always interested to learn of news in water-related legislation from our friends at PennFuture. Read all about it on their site here or sign up to receive email alerts here. Here’s some of the latest news from PennFuture: A gathering solution for stormwater? Sprawl, inadequate policies, lack of effective legal and financial tools…
Good News from RecycleNOW Philadelphia!
We just learned of some great news in the December newsletter from RecycleNOW Philadelphia! The following information is a condensed version of the newsletter. You can read the whole thing on the RecycleNOW website. The City of Philadelphia has announced a full launch of the Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program in partnership with RecycleBank. Based on…
More Must-Read Water Articles from the New York Times
The New York Times has recently published some more truly fascinating articles in their “Toxic Waters” series. In “Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show,” Charles Duhigg explains how some water treatment systems have gotten away with illegal concentrations of harmful substances in drinking water. From the article: More than 20 percent of the…
2009 International Coastal Cleanup Final Results
In Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, 21.57 tons (43,149 pounds) of trash and litter was removed from local waterways and the Delaware Estuary in a coordinated effort by volunteers on International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day. The ICC, sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, is the world’s largest single-day, volunteer effort focused on cleaning the…
Water Treatment Tales
Have you ever wondered how the water that flows down the Delaware or the Schuylkill Rivers gets treated and makes it to your house? Or are you curious about where the waste you flush down the toilet or spit down the sink goes? If you answered yes, I would recommend taking a tour of the…