FAQs

Tookany/Tacony-Frankford is a mouthful, so we usually just call our creek the TTF. The words Tookany and Tacony come from the native Lenape word tèkëne, meaning woods or wilderness. The creek begins in Montgomery County, where the main stem is called the Tookany. When the creek passes into Philadelphia the name changes to Tacony. The Tacony Creek becomes the Frankford Creek in Juniata Park, where it forms the Frankford Creek, which meets the Delaware River south of the Betsy Ross bridge. Frankford Creek was named for the village of Frankford, which was established by the Quakers in about 1682 and became part of the city of Philadelphia in 1854. The founders of TTF wanted to make sure that all residents of the watershed identified with the organization no matter where they lived within its 30 miles.

The number one source of water pollution is stormwater runoff. Runoff is rain that picks up oil, gasoline, sediment, salt, and other pollutants as it flows over rooftops, sidewalks, and streets before it rushes into nearby waterways, causing pollution, habitat degradation, erosion, and flooding. In Philadelphia’s combined sewage outfall areas, including Tacony Creek Park, rainwater overloads sanitary sewer pipes, causing them to discharge raw sewage into the creek.

Yes, there is a lot of wonderful wildlife that lives in our parks and natural areas. In fact, these creatures live there because of the shelter and food provided by creek habitat. According to iNaturalist, the most common animals are: White-tailed Deer, Raccoon, Red Fox, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Groundhog, and American Robin.

If you live in Philadelphia, you can get a rain barrel installed for free through Philadelphia Water’s Rain Check program. If you live in Montgomery County, you can buy a rain barrel from us or the Abington Environmental Advisory Council. To buy a rain barrel click here.

When a pollution event is occurring in the watershed, contact the appropriate municipal authorities as soon as possible.

In Philadelphia, call 215-685-6300.

In Cheltenham, call 215-887-6200, ext. 330, weekdays between 7:30AM and 4PM or 9-1-1 on weekends, nights and holidays. In Abington, call 267-536-1004 between 7:30am and 5:00 pm Mon-Fri or email info@abingtonpa.gov.

Be sure to record the location of the pollution event as well as the time and date. Take photos. Do not trespass on private property.

We are supported by our municipal partners, foundations and government agencies, individuals, and businesses through our Partner Alliance.

No. We are a non-profit organization that works closely with – and is supported by – the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD). We work alongside PWD to inform people about the importance of clean water and how we can all make a difference. We support Philadelphia Water’s Green City, Clean Waters 25-year plan to protect our watershed by managing stormwater with innovative green infrastructure. We implement and encourage these same strategies with partners in all of our communities.

Our office is on the second floor of the Globe Dye Works in Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood at 4500 Worth Street. You can take the Market Frankford line to the Church Street Station, and walk down Church Street to our office. You can park in the Globe Dye Works parking lot at the corner of Worth and Kinsey Streets.