It’s all about runoff. When precipitation from rain or snowmelt flows over the ground, impervious surfaces like streets and sidewalks keep the water from naturally soaking in, creating stormwater runoff. This can be problematic on several levels. Runoff erodes rivers and streams, and causes flooding.
MoreA group of retirees in Germantown take water safety into their own handsby Natalie Hope McDonald
The group of senior citizens dipping test tubes into the Wissahickon Creek has their work cut out for them. As members of the Senior Environment Corps (SEC), a volunteer organization housed at Center in the Park—an active adult community on
9 mins read
Dare to keep drugs out of your drinking waterby Shaun Bailey
It's an otherwise slow shift at the hospital when, just after 2 p.m., patient John Doe is wheeled into the emergency department. After taking the man's vital signs, residents determine he has suffered a "myocardial infarction"; what doctors call a heart attack. With no time
4 mins read
Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do About Itby Robert GlennonIsland Press, $27.95Unquenchable begins with the story of one of the most obvious and ostentatious wastes of water in America: Las Vegas. A gleaming, neon-bedecked homage to decadence in the middle of the desert, Vegas is a testament to our ability to build what
More1 min read
Landscapers save rainwater for watering gardensby Brian James KirkThroughout the Wissahickon watershed, a 64 square-mile basin beginning in Montgomery County and flowing south into Philadelphia, a stormy early May has saturated the ground with rainwater, which will eventually twist downstream through dozens of tributaries into the Schuylkill River.
More2 mins read
Fluid Needs
Make your water coolerAt first glance, the office water cooler looks innocuous, especially if you forego the dumpster-bound plastic cup and refill your (Philadelphia Phillies, 2008 World Champions) glass instead. However, there’s one key wasteful component unaccounted for: energy consumption. Yup, those heavy jugs need to be manufactured and then carted around town by
1 min read