NJ Future: Communicating Value to Consumers
Green City, Clean Waters ‐ Public Engagement
Tiffany Ledesma
May 13, 2015

• Drinking Water
(1.73 million customers in
Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery
and Delaware Counties)
• Wastewater
(2.22 million customers in
Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery
and Delaware Counties)
• Stormwater
(Philadelphia City/County only)
PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT
A Sustainable Utility in Support of a Sustainable City
Serves the Greater Philadelphia region by providing integrated drinking water,
wastewater, and stormwater services and more…

GREEN CITY, CLEAN WATERS
• City will invest $2 billion dollars
over 25 years to manage
stormwater runoff through
primarily “green infrastructure”
• Maintains and upgrades one of
the nation’s oldest infrastructure
systems.
• Environmental, Economic and
Social Benefits
• Will help make our communities
cleaner, healthier and more
desirable places to live, work,
and play.
• National model for improving
water quality and quantity in
urban streams and rivers.

BOTTOM LINE
BOTTOM LINE
BOTTOM LINE
Economic Benefits
 Property Values
 Job Creation
 Competitive City
Social Benefits
 Recreation
 Aesthetics
 Public Health
 Equity
Environmental Benefits
 Fishable & Swimmable
 Habitat Enhancement
 Air Quality
 Energy Savings
 Carbon Footprint
Advantages of the
Green Approach

Public Affairs Mission
The Public Affairs Division is a dedicated, customer‐
focused team committed to enhancing the quality of life
of the external and internal customers we serve by:
• Providing reliable and timely information and support
• Fostering a culture of environmental stewardship
• Acknowledging and resolving customer concerns
• Enhancing credibility for the Department and
• Leading the Department in establishing a philosophy of
customer sensitivity

Public Affairs Organization
Public Affairs
Customer Service
Public Relations
Community
Relations
Stormwater Billing
Public Education
Fairmount Water
Works Interpretive
Center
Public Engagement
Community
Initiatives
Residential
Programs
Watershed
Partnerships
Creative
Fairmount Park
Environmental
Educators
+
Communications
Development
Support
throughout each
of these efforts

Public Engagement Team
Goals
• To generate public support
for PWD’s green and gray
investments.
• To inform, educate, and
inspire citizens to become
PWD advocates and
ambassadors.
PWD’s success and the sustainability of our
investments hinge on the support of communities
– our rate payers.

• Support of communities and partners is critical to the success
of Green City, Clean Waters.
• By creating opportunities to connect people to GSI and by
harnessing resources through partnerships, we can create a
more successful and more sustainable program.
• Ensure that the rate‐payer is on board
Community Support
& Partnerships

How Do We Get There?
Notify and Create Opportunities for citizens (residents and
communities) to become informed, involved and inspired to
help facilitate the implementation of PWD’s investments.
• Community Outreach (i.e., notification)
• Public Participation (i.e., residential tools)
• Partnership‐building (i.e., watershed partnerships and civic
partnerships)
• Communications Development too!

•Site visits
•Notifications to partners
•Community meetings
Planning
• Environmental educators deployed
• Community meetings Design
•Letters to residents , council, and partners
•Community meetings
•Automated phone calls to property owners
•Construction letters
Pre‐
Construction
•Adoption invitation
•Ribbon cuttings, when possible
•Continued education and partnership
Post ‐
Construction
Aim for notification & outreach on every green
project led by PWD (public sites)

Many Community Meetings…
Approximate number of Green
Park projects:
• Planning: 34
• Design: 33
• Long term: 20+
• Total: 87
If we do 3 green park meetings per
project that’s 261 park meetings!
*This doesn’t include street
projects, vacant land projects,
schools projects, etc.
*It also doesn’t include all other
communication (i.e., emails,
phone calls, letters, flyering,
articles, etc.)

Green City, Clean Waters
in the Classroom & Beyond
• Lessons at the Fairmount Water
Works, in classrooms, at PP&R rec
centers, in neighborhoods, and at
PP&R environmental education
centers and beyond.
• Urban Waters Curriculum and
Teacher Development Training ‐
www.resourcewater.org
• GreenSTEM Network Program –
Monitoring GSI and producing
environmental data
• Approximately 62,000
environmental education
participants last year

ART!

Interpretive Signage

• The Soak It Up! Adoption Program provides grants to civic
organizations to help maintain the beauty and functionality of
green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in Philadelphia’s
neighborhoods.

Our Adoptees
• 12 Active Adoptees
• 5 Awaiting Grants
• 2 Expressions of Interest
• Managing 38 GSI Sites
• 107 SMPs (Approximate)

• Rain Check
• Rebuilding Together
Philadelphia Block
Builds
• Residential Tool
Improvements
• DIY Resources
Green HomesGreen Homes

• Educate PWD customers
• Provide a financial
incentive for stormwater
management
• Evaluate residential
green stormwater
infrastructure
Green Homes
Green Homes Goals

Rebuilding Together Philadelphia
FREE Downspout Planters

“My community wants a …
green street… green park …
green school…”
www.phillywatersheds.org/cif
Nominate a location in your
community that you want
evaluated for GSI!*
*NOT GUARANTEED!
(1/10 chance; 2‐5 years)
Community Input Form

@Phillyh2o
and
Green City, Clean Waters
https://www.flickr.com/photos/phila
delphiawater
http://vimeo.com/phillywatersheds
@Phillyh2o
@Phillyh2o
We’re on:We use social media to:
• Publicize events
• Provide customers with
important information
• Respond to customer
events
• Highlight water related
news
PWD on Social Media

flickr.com/philadelphiawater
Photo Library

Thank you!
Tiffany.Ledesma@phila.gov
www.phillywatersheds.org
www.phila.gov/water