Topics City Life

A Brief History of Water in Northwest Philadelphia

Houses on an abutment, from The Waffle

The Waffle: Water History Video 6

Ghosts of Water in Fairmount Park, Part 1, with Adam Levine

High Water: An Informal History of Flooding in Philadelphia

Rebirth of the Rivers: Water History Video 3

High Water: Flooding in Philadelphia

Black-and-white aerial photo of a creek bend with industrial buildings surrounding it

The Sad History of Frankford Creek

William Penn balks at drinking the "mixed drink" offered him: Schuylkill water, mixed with pollution from the upstream sources named. Editorial cartoon by Fred Morgan, Philadelphia Inquirer, April 6, 1899. One of a series of cartoons drawn by Morgan protesting the state of the city's drinking water and trying to encourage the passage of legislation authorizing the construction of a water filtration system.

Half a Century of Clean Water: The Clean Water Act, 1972-2022