Issue Definition
Why were most of Philadelphia’s surface streams, encompassing many square miles of watershed, systematically obliterated over the course of the city’s development.?
LE 1, 2 and 3 give students an understanding of how cities in the 19th century tried to solve their wasterwater problem and how this is related to industrialization and to population growth
LE4 helps students unpack the step-by-step wastewater treatment system that manages the city’s wastewater; how does it mimic natural processes in the environment as well as in your own “gut”. This will be revisited in the 21st century solution of green infrastructure.
Outdoor Field Experience
Flush the toilet and speculate where it goes!
Take your students for a walk outside . Can they tell where a stream used to be from the curve or slope of a street? Ask them why storm drains matter– find them during dry and rainy days. Look at maps to discover the underground story of where your wastewater and stormwater system starts and ends.
Synthesis and Conclusion
Help students “see” what is hidden– system of underground pipes that carry unsanitary wastewater and stormwater from runoff in the same pipe, and are called a combined sewer pipe system. In newer parts of the city, pipes that convey unsanitary wastewater and stormwater runoff are separated (but still underground). Is underground the solution? Students will explore the 21st century solution to that issue- a green infrastructure land-based approach. Introduce it here and consider pondering with them Is this a sustainable solution ? Compare and contrast “out of sight out of mind” idea with above ground systems and why we need both.
Environmental Action Project
Communicate to others the steps of the wastewater treatment process and mark/clean up storm drains to prevent litter and unwanted waste to clog or go down the storm drain; track precipitation data and communicate about the frequency of more intense rain events to others and how we can act to mitigate some of the consequences; Propose sustainable solutions.