September 6, 2022
The Penn Water Center is a research center dedicated to understanding and developing solutions to urban water complications, connecting the work of faculty and students at the University with regional, national, and global leaders. Its work is divided into four overarching categories: integrated watershed management, finance, technology, and innovation, urban water systems, and global climate resilience.
Many of the Center’s current projects center around the issues of water equity and environmental justice, which align with its pledge to promote diversity and inclusivity in its institutions and to help secure the basic right to clean water for all people. The Water Center is working with PennPraxis and the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to create a master plan for stormwater management that will promote improved water quality and safer communities within the city. Sewer overflow, caused by intense weather and exacerbated by climate change, can cause serious property damage and has significant impacts on human and environmental health. The framework will provide a timeline for new systems to be implemented, considering the future of stormwater management and its correlation with climate change over a period of 25 years.
One potential solution and important research topic is permeable pavement, which contains pores or gaps that allow water to flow through, helping to filter out the pollutants. Additionally, the Water Center strives to address more local concerns surrounding cost-effective stormwater systems. In 2011, Philadelphia adopted the Green City Clean Waters plan to create at least 9000 acres of green stormwater infrastructure; however, this initiative is very expensive, and the city has faced many challenges trying to maintain it. Penn is conducting research to develop a financially stable implementation plan that will reach the original project goal by 2036. The Center is also working towards improved management in and around the Delaware River Watershed by advocating for more green infrastructure.
