Reduce Sewage Overflows Grant

The William Penn Foundation aims to reduce annual untreated sewage overflows in Philadelphia by 5 billion gallons by 2035. This initiative focuses on addressing outdated infrastructure that contributes to pollution during extreme weather events. By engaging communities, particularly those most affected, the foundation seeks innovative solutions to improve water quality and public health. This effort aligns with ongoing successes since the Clean Water Act and highlights the need for equitable access to clean waterways.

By 2035, reduce annual untreated sewage overflows by 5 billion gallons per year across the region.
The decades since the passage of the 1972 US Clean Water Act have seen remarkable success in the clean-up of urban waterways, including those in Philadelphia. With that improvement has come significant growth in the number of people looking for positive experiences on, in, and along the region’s rivers and streams.
However, every year billions of gallons of stormwater mixed with raw sewage ends up, untreated, in local creeks, streams, and rivers due to outdated infrastructure that is overwhelmed, especially during extreme weather. In many cases, the communities near these waterways have average household incomes below the poverty line, meaning the areas that have historically withstood economic and environmental burdens have less access to clean waterways. These contaminated waters also spill into basements, parks, and public roads – often in these same neighborhoods – during flooding.
To improve the quality of life for Philadelphians, to enhance health and safety, and to reduce pollutants in our communities, we have prioritized a reduction in sewage overflows.
We recognize that there are many ways that organizations and communities can contribute to advancing this objective and are looking for Philadelphians’ best ideas about how to accomplish this in communities across the city, particularly those that have been most burdened by this problem.