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Philly is a river city.
Why don't we act like it?
The Schuylkill, the Delaware and every creek in between define us.
Who would we be without our waterside parks and catfish catches, the fireworks and fun on the docks?
We've come along way over the past 100 years, from using our beautiful rivers as an industrial dumping grounds to what we enjoy today. But the truth is that we deserve so much more.
Our elected leaders have slept on our rivers' potential. Neglected upgrades to our sewer system and poor planning for today's stronger storms keep us from all the fun we could be having in and on the water.
Safer swimming, better fishing, boating and waterside attractions.
Access for more people to enjoy our water—in more ways, on more days and in more places throughout the year.
Bigger and older cities have done it. Why can't we?
There's money and community know-how to make it happen in Philly.
We need our elected leaders to take action now.
We have a brief window of time right now when our city can apply for federal grants to clean up our rivers, upgrade our sewers and open more places where residents can have fun by and on the water.
Imagine: 2026, a revitalized Schuylkill River —just in time for our nation's 250th birthday party.
It can be done. Community groups are working on it.
A network of Philly youth programs, labor unions, teachers, and clean water experts.
But they can't do it alone. And the clock is ticking.
We need our city and state leaders to bring that federal money home, to make Philly the best "blue-green" city it can be.
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