Yesterday, we asked Philly to guess how much water residents use daily and to consider what a day with no water might be like.
The exercise was part of The Value of Water Campaign's annual Imagine A Day Without Water, a national event that gets people thinking about how crucial it is to invest in and protect water.
For those who took a guess at how much water an average Philly household uses per day, here are some fast facts:
How much water do we use?
- Average water used by PWD residential customers per day: 124.6 gallons
- Average water use per month: 3,740 gallons
How much does that cost under current rates?
- Average bill for all water services: $66.98
- How much of that bill pays for 3,740 gallons (500 cubic feet): $22.75. The remaining 2/3rds pays for stormwater, wastewater, administrative services.
Drinking Water Fast Facts:
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3,100: Miles of water mains
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223 Million: Gallons per day of clean water delivered, on average
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Three: Drinking water plants, two on the Schuylkill and one the Delaware
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58: Percent of our water comes from the Baxter Treatment Plant on the Delaware
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+188 Million: Dollars budgeted through 2021 to replace pipes and mains
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+2,000: Downloads of our most recent Drinking Water Quality Report (so far... get yours!)
Did you know?
While we are a public utility operated by the City of Philadelphia, we don't get any revenue from federal, state, or local taxes. The funds we use to pay for all water infrastructure investment come from water bills paid by our customers.
We strive to balance the need for infrastructure spending that's necessary to provide truly top-quality water with the need for affordable rates, and we take that responsibility seriously. We are also proud that rates are set by an independent board through a transparent process that involves the public, a process you can read about here:
 The system we depend on today was built over the course of more than 200 years and requires constant maintenance.
Now, we are doing our generation's part with a 25-year strategic plan for future drinking water investments that will ensure reliable delivery of clean, safe and affordable tap. Without that, we simply can't imagine the thriving Philadelphia we all want to see today and decades from now.
If you haven't already, check out highlights of the Drinking Water Master Plan we released earlier this year.
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