in the days following then-tropical storm ida, i studied its catastrophic impact on the region i call home — philadelphia — from 140 miles away at my university in washington, d.c. my social media feeds were filled with dystopian images of flooded below-ground highways, bridges nearly submerged by water, and residential streets that looked a lot more like venice than the northeastern american city.  

the vine street expressway (i-676) in #philadelphia, before and after #ida. pic.twitter.com/o5v19dahhe

— todd chappelle (@toddchappelle) september 2, 2021

one visual stood out to me in particular — a twitter video, below, of so-called “vine street swimmers” jumping into the submerged expressway in a characteristically unhinged philly-fashion, despite officials’ warnings to stay out of the water. my inner germophobe reeled: gross.

philly wild right now pic.twitter.com/72cllpybha

— bradford pearson (@bradfordpearson) september 2, 2021

it turns out that my casual disgust was worthy of more attention. i took it upon myself to do something i never thought i’d do: to research the inner workings of my city’s sewage system.

what i found was fittingly unsavory: tropical storm ida was another reminder of the intense pressure put on philadelphia’s centuries-old sewage system by weather events intensified by changes in our climate, like hurricanes, increased precipitation, and flooding. the makeshift pool the vine street swimmers enjoyed was mixed with both wastewater and potentially toxic materials.

some 60% of the city has what’s called a combined sewer system (css) — an apparatus that accumulates sewage, industrial wastewater, and rainwater runoff into one channel, which is sent to a sewage plant for treatment, according to the epa. but when the collected water exceeds the plant’s capacity, untreated water enters nearby waterways and streets.

such an event is called a combined sewer overflow (cso) — the phenomenon that i witnessed on my social media feeds as a result of ida. the impacts of a cso are also made worse in urban areas where water can move swiftly on asphalt surfaces, unabsorbed by green spaces, according to the philadelphia inquirer. 

so, why does this matter? storms happen, places flood, and we clean up and move on with our lives.

as a college student a few states away, i’m relatively unaffected by philadelphia’s climate problems. i live in the suburbs anyway — a 20 minute drive from center city — and visit home sparingly for holidays and breaks. 

schuylkill river flooding from ida in the manayunk section of philadelphia @phillywx @stormhourmark @stormhour @jimcantore @spann @stephanieabrams @garyszatkowski #idaaftermath #ida pic.twitter.com/c7c8ijqjdf

— weather brewed (@weatherbrewed) september 2, 2021

but what if the problem expands? the green lane bridge in the manayunk neighborhood of the city, a mere four miles from where i grew up, was nearly submerged by ida. i can’t help but think about my aging mom, and the house and vibrant garden she’s worked so hard to improve and beautify, becoming submerged by not just floodwater, but contaminated water. and having grown up in the region and witnessed the deep inequities in housing, education, and infrastructure across the city, i’m concerned that these extreme weather events and their putrid consequences will affect vulnerable communities the most.

my personal concerns coincide with observed trends and the potential future impacts of extreme weather events on philadelphia’s wildlife, people, and economies. the 2018 national climate assessment indicates that the northeastern united states as a whole has seen, and will continue to see, some of the highest rates of sea level rise and ocean warming in the country as a result of human-related greenhouse gas emissions. rising ocean temperatures strengthen and intensify hurricanes with extra heat energy. philadelphia in particular will see extreme flooding every year by 2050, according to nbc10 philadelphia.

frank kummer, an environmental writer for the philadelphia inquirer, has reported the most extensively on the impact of climate change on the city and its sewage system, specifically. his reporting demonstrates the multitude of ways in which climate change will wreak havoc on the area.

in his article, “the secret scourge of climate change? more raw sewage in philadelphia’s waterways,” he shares data that shows philadelphia’s rainfall average for the 21st century — 2000-2018 — was up eight inches from the 20th-century average. additionally, he writes, waterways polluted by a css overflow can cause water oxygen level drops that can harm aquatic life — a drop that was observed in a local creek after a quick afternoon storm in september. further, in another article, “climate change is straining philly’s 19th-century sewage system. ida was a ‘wake-up call,'” he explains that after ida, the schuylkill river was designated “red” by the water department, meaning that bacteria levels were so high, the water wasn’t suitable for boating, wading, and fishing.

besides the fact that the consequences of human-induced climate change are brutal for ecosystems, they’re incredibly costly to the communities they impact. from a national perspective, the total cost of extreme weather events to the american people has exceeded $1.1 trillion since 1980, according to the 2018 national climate assessment.

and now zooming into philadelphia, in another kummer article, brian rademaekers, a spokesperson for the philadelphia water department, said that a plan to redesign and construct a new sewage system that could handle extreme weather events would cost billions of dollars. city officials are hoping that funding from biden’s infrastructure will aid in this investment. 

so now, i feel that i’m back at square one. we can improve our infrastructure, but we can’t stop the inevitable: climate change is altering our hometowns, our country, and our world in scary ways. flooding in philadelphia is just a microcosm under the vast umbrella of climate change’s wrath. and for those who deny climate change, or refuse to act on it — especially in the philly region — well, its impacts might soon submerge their city. and it’s really going to be shitty.

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editor’s note: check back each day during cop26 for more pieces in planet forward’s climate hits home series.“

to learn more about ways communities across the country are using green infrastructure to manage stormwater, go to nrdc’s rooftops to rivers page.

to learn more about ways communities across the country are using green infrastructure to manage stormwater, go to nrdc’s rooftops to rivers page.

according to a report from the sustainable business network of greater philadelphia, one inch of rainwater hitting one acre of asphalt over an hour yields 27,000 gallons of water. in many communities, this water flows into combined stormwater / sewer systems, which channel both sewage and rainwater together through underground pipes to central treatment facilities. storms can quickly overrun these combined systems, leading to flooding with pollutant-laden water and even backed up sewage. in fact, in many older cities like philadelphia, basements can flood with excrement during major storms, creating major public health issues in the process. (source: grey to green: jumpstarting private investment in green stormwater infrastructure)

the term “green infrastructure” is used to describe how networks of natural ecosystems also function as crucial community infrastructure, providing ecosystem services and improving environmental sustainability. in the context of managing stormwater, green infrastructure can be defined as man-made systems that mimic natural approaches. green roofs, bioswales, bioretention ponds, and permeable pavements are a few key examples of local green infrastructure, and all work by turning hard asphalt surfaces into green, absorbent ones. for example, green roofs can retain 40-60 percent of stormwater hitting rooftops. bioswales and retention ponds can absorb water and channel or hold excess runoff, cleansing pollutants in the process. however, even just adding extra trees, which consume lots of water, can help. evergreens and conifers were found to intercept 35 percent of water hitting them. (source: u.s. environmental protection agency)

adding in green infrastructure systems is not only good for managing water, but also good for communities. green infrastructure can lower air temperatures, which is crucial in cities facing the urban heat island effect. green roofs can double-up as roof-top parks, farms, and natural habitats for wildlife, providing a range of benefits. chicago alone has seven million square feet of green roofs, which are often filled with native plants. for communities facing tight budgets, green infrastructure systems are also the most cost-effective way to manage storm water when compared with rebuilding crumbling underground pipes. philadelphia, which charges homeowners and local companies for their runoff, is now considering $1.6 billion plan to use natural systems to alleviate its major stormwater management problems. (source: the vancouver sun, grey to green: jumpstarting private investment in green stormwater infrastructure)

they receive the majority of their energy from the power plant across the potomac river in alexandria, but now seek to power 50% of their plant with the methane siphoned off of the biosolids. a biosolid is essentially a soil-like byproduct made up of what is flushed down the toilet and washed down the sewers from the streets of dc. all this is processed at the same time that the water is being treated and is deposited before the water is reintroduced back into the potomac. the blue plains facility is the district’s largest consumer of electricity. spending roughly $700,000 per month on their electric bills is a huge number.

the upside of this for local dc residents? water prices will likely fall once this endeavor is completed because the facility’s operational costs will go down. it looks like it’s a win-win for everyone.