Tookany/Tacony – Frankford Watershed Plan: Restoring an Urban stream

The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) is breaking new ground in the development of an integrated watershed planning approach for their urban streams to address the objectives of several Federal and State programs dealing with Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), stormwater, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), and habitat restoration. PWD's Office of Watersheds (OOW) has carried out an extensive sampling and monitoring program to characterize conditions in the Tookany, Tacony and Frankford Creeks watershed. The program is designed to document the condition of aquatic resources and to provide information for the planning process needed to meet regulatory requirements imposed by US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). The program includes hydrologic and water quality analysis; and biological, wetland, and habitat assessments. A Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) has been developed for the watershed that can simulate the watershed response from storm sewers as well as combined sewers. The model has been adapted to simulate a wide array of CSO controls and stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs). By simulating BMPs at various levels of implementation, graphs of urban BMP effectiveness in controlling CSOs and stormwater were developed and used to assemble cost-effective watershed management alternatives. The plan has resulted in a careful assessment of the potential for restoration of an urban stream. Under consideration are an array of CSO controls, stormwater BMPs, stream restoration measures, non-structural measures, and public education/participation programs. Implementation of the plan recommendations will be carried out in phases to allow for an adaptive management approach.