Water
This chapter talks about how there is no life with out water and how freshwater is in short supply. For more than a century, the City of Philadelphia has been working to protect water resources through environmental planning and natural area set-asides. The greater Philadelphia area is heavily urbanized and older parts of the city are drained by an aging combined sewer infrastructure. The City has faced a number of water quality challenges in the last few decades as they have addressed various requirements of the Clean Water Act. An article called "A Cleaner Philly Starts In The Water" states, "Water utilities across the country are confronting new and complex environmental challenges while also trying to meet customer expectations and federal regulations for a safe and affordable water supply. Philadelphia has a rich history of innovation regarding water treatment" ( Ezra 1). In 1996, staff at the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) undertook an effort, led by Howard Neukrug, to evaluate the infrastructure needs associated with controlling 16 billion gallons of combined sewer flows per year. PWD questioned whether, after expending the time and money necessary to implement conventional solutions, local waterways and streams would be healthy.
Energy
In 2008, the Philadelphia government consumed 3.64 trillion Btus of energy at a total cost of $82.5 million. Greenworks Philadelphia’s target is to reduce consumption by 30 percent from this level by 2015. By making this happen will save the City an estimated $36.3 million in 2015. Retrofitting municipal buildings, creating target energy budgets for City departments and developing energy conservation education for City employees will help the City reach this target. Philadelphia has many goals they want to achieve to better energy source within a certain amount of years.
Source:
Ezra. "A Cleaner Philly Starts in the Water." The Energy Co-op. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
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