Why We All Drink the Schuylkill River​

This presentation is a case study of the solutions to technical challenges in the provision of water to the residents of Northwest Philadelphia that arose in the City of Philadelphia under the Consolidation of 1854.The new City of Philadelphia Water Department sought to improve the reliability and safety of the water supplied to Northwest Philadelphia by linking four separate existing systems into one efficient and resilient whole. Original photographs and engineers’ sketches from the period 1870 to 1906, drawn mostly from the Historical Collections of the Water Department, illustrate the story.

Our Presenter: Drew Brown recently retired after 46 years as an environmental engineer with the City of Philadelphia Water Department, where he worked first in wastewater treatment, and later as the Department’s first Manager of Public Education Programs. Drew holds bachelor and master degrees in Environmental Engineering from Lehigh University. He was a frequent media spokesman for the Water Department on the issues of drought and the illegal use of fire hydrants from 1985 to 1996.