Dionne Watts-Williams

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All About the Flood at the FWW

We’ve had many questions about our May 1 flood. Among them: why did we sustain so much damage? The short answer: it was man vs. nature, a race against the clock, and more water than anyone predicted. We take you back to that day, one we’ve been reliving ever since. April 30 3:38 pm: The […]


The Water Works Needs You Now!

The Water Works Needs You Now! In case you haven’t heard, The Water Works suffered damage and loss of materials from the recent flooding, and we need your help. We are working around the clock to clean up, so that we can re-open to the public as soon as possible. Onsite environmental educators are now […]


Flooded Out — and CLOSED — at the Fairmount Water Works!

Due to flooding and high tides, the Water Works is closed until further notice for inside activities. We are offering our outreach and outside activities. We’re working hard to re-open for our wonderful weekend activities but, as you can see from Sandy Sorlien’s sobering photos, we have a lot of work ahead of us. We’ve […]


Water Blues, Green Solutions documentary screening coming on May 14th

How we manage stormwater in the 21st century will affect the quality of our health and the sustainability of our way of life. Water Blues Green Solutions is an interactive film project, telling the stories of communities creating green solutions for our water blues – flooding, pollution, and scarcity. The film takes us on a […]


PWD Wins National Recognition for Green City, Clean Waters communications

The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists honored the Philadelphia Water Department with recognition for environmental communications excellence. The winning project was the comprehensive, multi-channel campaign for Green City, Clean Waters.  Karen Young, Director of the Fairmount Water Works, went to Washington, D.C. to accept the award on behalf of the Philadelphia Water Department.


Make it A Colorful May at the Water Works!

Science Saturdays May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. starting every half hour. River Colors Learn how water was used in the process of making pigments. We will be making our own paints and then heading out to the open air to the use the FWW as a muse for your […]


April Activities: Science Saturday, Pop-Ups, Shad and More!

SCIENCE SATURDAYS: April 19 and 26 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. starting every half hour. SOUND NAVIGATION Humans have been traversing waterways for thousands of years, and safe navigation has always been of the utmost concern. We now have the ability to precisely map the ocean floor and riverbeds using sonar. Using this sonar we […]


2014 “Green City, Clean Waters” Art Contest Awards Ceremony on April 24th

Join us on Thursday, April 24th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. as we celebrate the talented young people who have won our 2014 “Green City, Clean Waters” Art Contest! Local students from kindergarten to high school have shown us that they know about protecting our watershed and water resources, while strutting their artistic stuff. […]


New Tour Series! Falling Waters of the Schuylkill: Flat Rock Dam, Black Rock Dam, Fairmount Dam, and their Environs

Join us for one or both of these walking tours of fascinating Schuylkill River natural and historic sites, including the Flat Rock Dam, Black Rock Dam and Fairmount Dam. Please click here for more information and to purchase tickets: https://schuylkillriverfallingwaterstours.eventbrite.com Learn about the connection of these dams with the urban water cycle locally, and with […]


Project Flow Summer 2014 program

Project Flow is a partnership between the Fairmount Water Works and Germantown Friends School. Our summer program is taking applications now! Please download the pdf for more information about the program and who can apply. Project Flow Application 2014Final