You may have seen the road work and digging on 51st to 54th and Cedar to Walnut Streets in recent months. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) wants to talk about it. The PWD will hold a community meeting on Monday, Aug. 26 to tell West Philly residents about its new green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects planned for the area.

These projects are part of “Green City, Clean Waters,” the City’s 25-year plan to reduce the volume of stormwater entering Philadelphia’s combined sewer system, which covers about 60 percent of the city and often overflows during wet weather. The citywide project, which is expected to be completed by 2036, will help make local waterways cleaner and neighborhoods greener.

The meeting will take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library (52nd and Sansom).

PWD started building GSI projects between 51st and 54th Streets and from Cedar to Walnut in January. They are expected to be completed this fall. The projects include the installation of “green tools” that help soak up stormwater, such as bump-outs and tree trenches. Check out the map below for more details.

PWD has also begun work on replacing old water and sewer mains in some areas.

For more information and to check if any projects are being conducted or planned in your neighborhood, visit this page.