Philadelphia's Water: Three hundred years of adapting to environmental opportunities and challenges

The City of Philadelphia has a long history as a leader in promoting public health by supplying clean water and good sanitation to its citizens. The City has been confronted over time with many challenges, from industrial pollution, waste water control, securing funding for water projects, collaborations with developers and industry, community involvement to bring about change, tariffs and pricing policies, chlorination and fluoridation, etc. Many of the lessons learned are directly applicable to the challenges faced by other cities as well as rural settings. This presentation will address both the history of water supply in Philadelphia and the lessons that can be applied elsewhere.