Protecting Philadelphia's Source Water | Day In The Life

Protecting Philadelphia’s drinking water means looking far beyond the city limits. With 98% of the Schuylkill River watershed outside Philadelphia, keeping pollution away from drinking-water intakes depends on understanding what happens upstream—and working with the communities there.

Day In The Life is a series showing how utility workers keep America’s water systems running. This episode follows Kelly Anderson, director of the office of watersheds at the Philadelphia Water Department, whose responsibility is also personal: her family drinks the water she helps protect.

Anderson grew up exploring creeks and watching the Delaware River from her New Jersey hometown. A hands-on science education at Drexel University and utility internships starting in 2002 turned that curiosity into a career, with early assignments ranging from walking Philadelphia’s creeks to investigating conditions near the watershed’s headwaters.

At the Manayunk Canal and Flat Rock Dam, she examines how restored flow could improve water quality near a drinking-water intake. A visit to Wissahickon Creek recalls a cyanide spill that helped shape her understanding of emergency response and the consequences of pollution upstream.

Source-water protection connects scientific investigation, long-term planning, and relationships with people across a watershed. For utilities, that work means anticipating threats before water reaches a treatment plant, while staying ready for the spill or storm that changes the day’s priorities.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. The Day In The Life series is made possible by sponsors:

Platinum sponsor Pentair

Gold sponsors Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, and Water Environment Federation.

Silver sponsors American Water Works Association, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, Human Capital Solutions, and Vaughan Company.