We have consistently performed better than all drinking water standards developed by the EPA to protect public health. In fact, all of Philadelphia's drinking water plants were among the first in the nation to receive the EPA Director's Award in 1998 for meeting standards for excellence established under the Partnership for Safe Water program. We use proven treatment practices at our water treatment plants and we participate in groundbreaking research while keeping water rates among the lowest in the region. Our goal is to make our customers feel good about drinking the recommended eight glasses of water every day. The water that we treat comes from the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers.
Rivers are surface water supplies.
Philadelphia does not use groundwater. Each river contributes approximately one half of the City's overall supply. PWD has three water treatment plants that process untreated river water, to make water safe and healthy to drink. We produce approximately 300 million gallons of good, high-quality drinking water for our customers on a daily basis. Philadelphia is located in the Delaware River Watershed, which begins in the state of New York and extends 330 miles south to the mouth of the Delaware Bay.